Flavigny: First Vows and Taking of the Habit for the Brothers — 2024

Source: FSSPX News

The new novices and new professed Brothers

On Sunday, September 29, 2024, at the Holy Curé of Ars Seminary in Flavigny, five young men received the religious habit (or cassock) of the Brothers of the Society of St. Pius X, and six young novice brothers pronounced their first religious commitments - the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, in order to live more perfectly in the authentic spirit of the Gospel.

These 6 novices, one Canadian and five Frenchmen, will make this commitment in complete freedom, after a three-year formation period. It will be renewed several times for those who so wish, before making a definitive commitment at the end of 9 years.

These brothers will not be priests, but auxiliary religious, assisting priests in their mission, taking care of priories, and shining through the help and charity they provide. Their vocation is centered on the Holy Mass, which they seek to radiate throughout their day.

Five young men also entered the novitiate, an entry marked by the taking of the religious habit: this year, they come from Canada (1), France (1), Italy (1), and Kenya (2).

Their families and friends joined them for the occasion, enchanted by the joyful family atmosphere of the novitiate.

The two new District Superiors of France and Italy, Fathers Gonzague Peignot and Gabriele d'Avino, honored us with their presence.

The Seminary Director, Fr. Guillaume Gaud, performed the ceremony in place of Bishop Tissier de Mallerais, and invited us to pray fervently for him, as his absence was due to a serious accident.

In his homily, he highlighted the central and hidden place that the brothers of the Fraternity hold in the revival of priestly sanctity, and showed us, following St Thomas Aquinas, that the Brothers' way of life in our priories is no less religious than that of contemplatives, insofar as their work and dedication are wholly invested in charity.