The Vice Province of Manila hosts the Common Novitiate in Lipa in the Philippines. This year, there are 13 novices from the following 8 Units: Cebu, Manila, Thailand, Colombo, Oceania, Canada, Dublin, Malaysia, and Singapore. The Novice Master, Fr. Brian Espejo, is from the Vice-Province of Manila, and the Socius, Fr. Mario Petyolus Tua, is from Indonesia. Fr. Joseph Ivel Mendanha, General Consultor, visited the Novitiate in Lipa and spent the day with the novices. He spoke to the Novices about the Missionary Vocation of the Redemptorist, touching on the themes of Missionary life and Vocation and the challenges of being a Missionary of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer. He also celebrated mass with the Novices, it being the feast of the Evangelist St. Mark and he highlighted the call to mission and proclaiming the Gospel with the embracing of the cross as an essential dimension of the Gospel of St. Mark.
The novices have completed 10 months of their novitiate and have another two months to go as they prepare for their first profession. Fr. Ivel called on them to intensify their study and reflection during these weeks, keeping alive their pastoral involvement with their visits and the novena twice a month at the hospital and their ministry to the sick, as well as their visits to the local prison and their ministry to the prisoners.
It was a day to remember and celebrate our growth and understanding of our Redemptorist Missionary vocation.
Fr. Brian Espejo C.Ss.R.
Novice Master, Lipa
