Brother Javier Gonzalez ended his first term as Prior of Saint Dominic Priory on November 24, 2024. The election of a Prior took place on December 8, 2024. The seven voting members of the Priory elected again as Prior Fr. Javier Gonzalez. As the Secretary of the election, Brother Edmund Eh sent to Bro. Provincial Ruben Martinez the official Report of the Election of Conventual Prior, signed by the Sup-Prior in capite, Bro. Fausto Gomez, the two tellers, Brothers Athanasius Chen and Lawrence The Reh, and the Secretary.
The election of Bro. Javier as St. Dominic’s Prior for a second consecutive term was approved and confirmed by the Socius of the Provincial (Brother Provincial Ruben was then in our Convent in Metro Manila), Bro. Hyacinth He Yousun. The appropriate letter was signed by Bro. Hyacinth and the Secretary of the Province Bro. Matthew Shing Mang Tun.
On December 13, Bro. Javier accepted publicly the office of Prior of St. Dominic and signed the acceptance letter in the presence of two witnesses - as required by the Constitutions: Brothers Athanasius Chen and the Sub-Prior signed as witnesses.
Rounding up the requirements of a Prior according to our Dominican Constitutions, Bro. Javier made the appropriate Act of Faith in the chapel of the Priory and in front of all the brothers. It took place before the Vespers of Monday, December 16. The ceremony concluded with some words by the re-elected Prior, Fray Javier, who thanked the community for their faithful contribution to the welfare of all, and offered himself humbly to serve the community for the next three years: “I will do my best to serve the community and I hope that you will continue helping much in this endeavor.”
At present, St. Dominic Priory is composed of thirty-seven (37) brothers: seven (7) priests and thirty (30) simply professed student brothers from different countries. The Priory houses the main Studentate of the Province, that is, the main House of Initial Formation of the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary.