Last Saturday, October 15, at 6:00 p.m. in the city of Seville (Spain), six young men who started their novitiate year a month ago, received the Dominican habit. Among these six novices is Bro Jean Carlos Mendez Gonzalez, OP, from our province who, with five brothers from the province of Hispania (three from Africa and two from Spain) for a year in the convent of St. Thomas Aquinas (Seville) doing this important year of formation within the consecrated life. César Valero Bajo (Vicar Provincial-Spain), together with Friar Marcos Julio García Sánchez (from the youth and vocation promotion team) gave the habit to Jean Carlos together with Friar Óscar Fernández Navarro, OP (novice master of the Province of Hispania).

Today, on the feast of St. Luke the Apostle, doctor not only of bodies but of souls, we extend our congratulations to all these novice friars, especially to Bro Jean Carlos, because Bro Jean Carlos is a medical doctor by profession with a specialty in bacteriology/infectology. He was born in Venezuela and has been living in Spain for 16 years as a medical doctor. Our confrere says that the call of the Lord to follow him was always latent, he also felt an inclination to monastic life, and he made some attempts, but he could not make up his mind. He had the responsibility to help his family, especially his elderly parents who lived in Venezuela and who died some time ago. He began to get to know some of the communities. In contact with a brother member of the vocation promotion team, he began to read and learn about the Order and once he had solved some work formalities, he resigned from his job and decided to enter in October 2021. Blessed be God for his vocation and his generous response to the Lord who never ceased to call him to follow him more closely in this way of life devised by our father St. Dominic of Guzman, may he be the one who continues to encourage him to follow Christ and may the maternal gaze of Our Lady of the Rosary accompany him in this year of discernment.

Let us continue to pray for the increase of vocations for our Order, our province, and especially for the provincial vicariate in Spain. Again, congratulations Bro Jean Carlos.