(1st row - standing) Bro. Aloysius Ming Xin Ren, Bro. Mark Yoniz Beley, Bro. Rusel Ricabar, (2nd row, seated) Bro. Stephen Ondoy, Fr. Rizalde Orola and Bro. Roy Paciente.

Bros. Mark Yoniz C. Beley, Stephen C. Ondoy, Roy S. Paciente, and Aloysius Mingxin (from the Delegation of China) made their first profession of religious vows on May 7, 2010 at the Saint Eugene de Mazenod Chapel, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Tamontaka. Bro. Rusel S. Ricabar, OMI, renewed his religious vows on the same celebration.

Fr. Ramon Ma. G. Bernabe, OMI, Pro­vincial Superior of the Philippines, pre­sided the Eucharistic Celebration and ac­cepted the vows of the Filipino brothers. Fr. Harry Dyer, OMI, Provincial Superior of Australia, accepted the vows of Bro. Aloysius. Fr. David Ullrich, OMI, Superi­or of the China Delegation delivered the homily.

The Oblates in the Cotabato District, the ‘neighboring’ religious communities, families, and friends from different plac­es came to witness the first profession.

The newly professed had to ‘evacu­ate’ the novitiate to give room to the new novices. They went home for their holidays and had to report to the Scho­lasticate in Manila to begin their studies before the June opening of the new aca­demic year.

They left the novitiate inspired by Constitution 12: “apostolic zeal sus­tained by the unreserved gift [they] make of [them]selves in [their] oblation, an offering constantly renewed by the challenges of the mission.”