With joy and thanksgiving, the Congregation of Holy Cross,United States Province of Priests and Brothers,announces thefirstprofession of vowsof eight novices from the Holy Cross Novitiate in Cascade, Colorado.
Novices spend a year at the novitiate, mostly in silent reflection and prayer. Then, on the final day of their Novitiate year, they profess vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
The following men professed their vowsin a celebration of the Eucharist onSaturday, July 30, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, (pictured left-to-right):
Mr. Robert William Weltner, C.S.C., Green Brook, New Jersey
Br. John Eli Draves, C.S.C., Berea, Ohio
Mr. Andrew James Copp, C.S.C., La Grange Park, Illinois
Mr. Méo Labossière, C.S.C., Saint-Léon, Manitoba, Canada
Mr. Benjamin Isaac Sasin, C.S.C., New Palestine, Indiana
Mr. Timothy Paul Wymore, C.S.C., Madison, Wisconsin
Br. Jacob Alan Gorman, C.S.C., Evansville, Indiana
Mr. Ethan Freeman Kelley, C.S.C., Olean, New York
“Doing formation work is such a blessing and a source of hope for me,” explains Rev. Jeffrey Cooper, C.S.C., director of novices and the superior at the Holy Cross Novitiate. “In a world that seems to be losing its bearings at times, the men who come to Holy Cross continue to be men of quality, faith, and sincerity. These eight men who just made their first profession of vows embody that. They inspire me, and I know they will be such a blessing for the people they serve, the Church, and for Holy Cross.”
During the Mass, the newly professed received the Holy Cross habit and the Cross and Anchors as signs of their professed membership in the Congregation.
