2024 Entrances, Vows, and Ordinations

[Luigi]

We've had threads of this kind in the past, and there seems to be some interest again this year. It being Sunday afternoon, and having nothing else in particular to do, I decided to create the topic for 2024. 

First some catch-up stats, from last year. 

Dominican Friars, eastern province (St. Joseph): 37 men in the studium. (One of those men is from my archdiocese, and in fact, I taught his sister in several classes. I've met his folks, too.) I don't know how many will be ordained priests or deacons this year, but I'm sure they'll announce when those ordinations happens. I think 7 novices were accepted in Fall 2023, but that page is undated. 

Dominican Friars, central province (St. Albert the Great): 12 men in the studium. One is scheduled to be ordained a priest and one to be ordained a deacon later this year. They received 8 novices in Fall 2023, and all 8 are still in the novitiate. 

Dominican Friars, southern province (St. Martin de Porres): 10 men in the studium. One is scheduled to be ordained a priest later this year, and maybe one or two deacons. The province accepted 7 novices in Fall 2023, and 6 are still in the novitiate. 

Dominican Friars, western province (Holy Name of Jesus): 25 men in the studium, plus one from Poland and 3 or 4 for the Vicariate of Vietnam. Some of those will be ordained priests or deacons in May or June. The province accepted 9 novices in Fall 2023. 

More to follow. 

[Luigi]

Benedictines of the Swiss-American Congregation: Most of the novices listed here entered in Fall 2023, but this congregation also accepts novices in February, so one or two might be from this year.  

Saint Meinrad Archabbey (Indiana): 2 novices and 2 men in first vows

Conception Abbey (Missouri): 4 novices and 2 men in first vows

Subiaco Abbey (Arkansas): 1 novice and 1 man in first vows

Saint Joseph Abbey (Louisiana): 1 novice and 5 men in first vows

Marmion Abbey (Illinois): 1 novice

Prince of Peace Abbey (California): 1 man in first vows

Saint Benedict's (Still River, Massachusetts): 1 novice and 1 man in first vows

There are no men in formation at: Mount Michael Abbey (Nebraska), Glastonbury Abbey (Massachusetts), or Ascension monastery (Idaho). 

[Luigi]

Benedictines of the American Cassinese Congregation: Again, this is just catch-up information - some of the people listed (as numbers) will probably make vows or be ordained in 2024. The congregation doesn't publish a house-by-house summary of statistics the way the Swiss American Congregation does, so it's harder to track down this information. I found some on their web sites, some in newsletters, and some on FaceBook. Keep in mind, though, that in information is incomplete - there might be more than the people listed here. 

Saint Vincent's Archabbey (Pennsylvania): 6 men in first vows and 3 postulants

Saint John's Abbey (Minnesota): I couldn't find any numbers, but they usually receive one or two men per year, so they might have 6 or eight men in formation. 

Saint Benedict's Abby (Kansas): 5 or s in first vows, and 1 or 2 novices

Saint Anselm Abbey (New Hampshire): 1 deacon ordained 12-10-24; several in formation

Saint Gregory's Abbey (Oklahoma): 1 solemn profession last year; 1 man in first vows; 1 novice this year; possibly 1 postulant

Saint Bernard Abbey (Alabama): I can find no specific information, but they usually have a couple of men in formation - or at least they have had for the last 10 years or so. 

Saint Mary Abbey (Morristown, New Jersey): 1 novice

Newark Abbey (Newark, New Jersey): 2 men in first vows

Mary, Help of Christians (Belmont, North Carolina): Deacon ordination, 1 solemn vows, 1 novice - all in '23

Assumption Abbey (North Dakota): 1 man in first vows

Saint Martin's Abbey (Washington state): 3 or 4 men in first vows and 1 novice

No men in formation at Mary, Mother of the Church (Virginia), Saint Leo (Florida), Saint Andrew (Ohio), Saint Procopius (Lisle, Illinois), or Saint Bede (Peru, Illinois). 

[Luigi]

Assumption Benedictine Abbey in North Dakota posted today on Facebook that their Brother Joseph professed solemn vows on 

March 21st, the feast of the Transitus of Saint Benedict. I posted on Sunday that Assumption had 1 man in first vows, but I was (happily) wrong - they had two men in first vows last Sunday; they have one man in first vows now. 

[Nunsuch]

Jane Aseltyne of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Monroe, MI) will profess final vows on August 3.

[Lou]

Sr Jennifer, Mt St Mary's Wrentham.

I think a while ago @Lady Grey, Hot was asking about this community.

 

https://msmabbey.org/news/sr-jennifers-solemn-profession

The Abbess' talk.

[lay associate]

Handmaids of the Precious Blood just had a first profession.  http://nunsforpriests.org/news/

In addition to Sr. Maria Crucis of St. St.Joseph who just made her profession they now have 4 in formation, one novice, one postulant and two aspirants.

[Luigi]

Here's an interesting but sad vocation story. Brother Kyle joined the Trappist abbey of Mepkin in South Carolina in September '22. He was clothed as a novice in November '23. Then he developed cancer. He was allowed to profess solemn vows on February 18, '24. He died March 5, '24.

https://mepkinabbey.org/obituary-for-brother-kyle-berceau/

[Luigi]

From Saint Meinrad Archabbey's Facebook page, news that NINETEEN deacons were ordained for the archdiocese of Hanoi on April 23rd. The Church in Viet Nam is thriving. 

"Saint Meinrad

The good work of Saint Meinrad extends worldwide! Archbishop Joseph Vũ Văn Thiên of Hanoi said gracious words of thanks (in English!) for Saint Meinrad Seminary and for our Father Rector Denis Robinson, OSB at yesterday's (23 April) ordination Mass of Hung Tran (2023 alumnus) and nineteen more newly ordained deacons for Hanoi!" 

There's an accompanying video on the FB page, but I didn't post it here. 

[Luigi]

From the FB page of Subiaco Abbey (Benedictine monks in Arkansas), on 30 April. They also posted a photo but I didn't paste it here. 

"SAVE THE DATE: Rev. Mr. Cody Eveld (Subiaco Academy class of 2014) will be ordained as a priest in the presbyteral order for the Diocese of Little Rock on Saturday, May 25th at 10:00 am, at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock, by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor. If interested in attending this wonderful event for our entire diocese, then email an RSVP to vocationsoffice@dolr.org. If you are not able to attend, then you can also watch this via livestream on youtube at the diocesan channel "cdolr". Our monastic community joins Deacon Cody's family and friends in wishing him prayerful best wishes for this wonderful occasion and congratulate him for answering God's call to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. For this we monks chant: UIOGD!"

[Luigi]

Joseph Thermadom is a Deaf man who was born and raised in India. He came to the US to join the Dominicans for the Deaf Apostolate and studied for the priesthood. I knew him in that phase of his life. For reasons to which I am not privy, he left that order and returned to India where he joined the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He continued studying for the priesthood, and he was ordained a priest today, becoming the first native-born Deaf priest in India, and perhaps the only Deaf priest in India. 

[Luigi]

St. Anselm Benedictine Abbey in New Hampshire celebrated an ordination to the diaconate in February and an ordination to the priesthood on April 13th.

 

[Luigi]

The previous post refers to St. Anselm (no -'S) abbey in New Hampshire. They're part of the American Cassinese congregation, descended from Saint Vincent's Archabbey. There is another St. Anselm's (note the -'S) Abbey in Washington, DC - they're in the English congregation, along with the abbeys in Portsmouth RI and St. Louis MO. St. Anselm's in Washington DC now has two men in formation - one in first vows, and another who was received as a novice in late February. The quotation is from their FB page: "Tonight John Castonguay was clothed as a novice of our community. He will spend the next year learning to be a monk while the community sees if he “truly seeks God and whether he shows eagerness for the Work of God, for obedience and for trials” (RB 58:7). He will be known in religious life as Br Maximilian after St Maximilian Kolbe. Please pray for him."

 

Edited May 3 by Luigi

[Luigi]

I started with Kenrick Seminary in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Some seminarians from the dioceses below are educated there. Then I went to the diocesan web pages to see if there were any additional ordinands. This is what I've found. Below, the term "deacon" refers to transitional deacons; if I found information about permanent deacons, I specify by using the word "permanent." 

Bismarck, ND: 2 priests will be ordained 6-11-24 (no deacons this year)

Kansas City, KS: 3 deacons on 5-18 and 1 priest on 5-25

Kansas-City-St. Joseph, MO: 1 deacon on 5-18 and 1 priest on 5-25. Website has no further information. 

Omaha, NE: 3 deacons on 5-24 and 2 priests on 6-1

St. Louis, MO: 3 priests on 5-25 (no diaconate ordinations this year)

Springfield, IL: 1 permanent deacon, 3 deacons on 4-12 and 5 priests on 5-25, 

Wichita, KS: 5 deacons on 5-23 and 3 priests on 5-25 (A photo on the website shows 41(!) seminarians, which would be 7 or 8 classes, I guess.)

Belleville IL, Dodge City KS, and Sioux City IA all have one deacon graduating from Kendrick this year. All three will be ordained on 61-24.  

[Luigi]

On April 27, 2024, Feast of Saint Rafael Arnáiz Barón, Sister Ashwini Worlikar made solemn profession at the monastery of Wrentham (USA).

Sister Ashwini was born in 1989 in Mumbai (India). She entered Wrentham in 2016 and made first profession in 2019.