Brs. Mukuye and Taylor Make First Profession

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB

(Stony Point, NY – August 18) – Brs. Pascal Mukuye and John Taylor made their first religious profession as Salesians of Don Bosco on Wednesday, August 16, at the Marian Shrine chapel in Haverstraw, NY.

Fr. Dominic Tran, provincial, received the brothers’ vows in the name of the Rector Major and gave the homily. Bro. John’s uncle, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock, AR, presided at the Mass; he received both a warm welcome from those present and warm thanks from the Salesians. The texts were those of the Mass of Religious Profession with readings chosen by the two brothers: 1 Sam. 3:1-10, Ps. 40:7-11, and Matt. 19:16-26. They also chose the service music, a combination of modern hymns and Gregorian chants. Catherine Ramirez provided musical accompaniment, assisted by Fr. Steve Shafran. Br. Pascal sang the responsorial psalm with a melody of his own composition.

Fr. Abraham Feliciano and Br. Thomas Dion witnessed Br. Pascal’s profession. Fr. Timothy Zak and Br. Thomas Sweeney witnessed Br. John’s.

In addition to the families of the professed, the congregation included 37 concelebrating priests, 13 Salesian coadjutor brothers, two Salesian sisters, some seminarians, Salesian Lay Missioners, and other friends of the two newly professed. One of the concelebrants was Fr. Fleming from St. Johns, N.L, where Br. Pascal lived when he came to Canada in 2009.

Bishop Taylor was pleased to learn that the presidential chair he used was the one made for Pope Francis’s Mass in Madison Square Garden in 2015—the work of Br. Sal Sammarco and some craftsmen in Port Chester, NY.

The basic rite of profession includes the presentation of the candidates by one of their formators, in this case Fr. John Puntino, from their novitiate staff. The candidates respond and state their intention to profess as Salesians. After the homily, the provincial questions them about their commitment, and the presider and congregation pray over them. The candidates individually pronounce their vows and are welcomed by the provincial. After those intending to study for the priesthood (both men, in this case) change into clerical garb, the provincial presents them first with the insignia of their Salesian religious profession (a medal) and then with a copy of the Constitutions. The congregation signals their approval with applause. The rite concludes with prayers of intercession.

Mass began at 4:00 p.m. and concluded at 5:30. Photo opportunities followed the Mass, and then a buffet supper in the Shrine pavilion.

A summary of Fr. Tran’s homily: "God is the author of all good things. Everything we have and are come from God." We’ll witness the gift of God’s love in the lives of our two brothers.

We’ve all received gifts from God, including the gift of life, the gift of each person’s vocation, God’s continual gift of what we need to live our vocation, such as "the Word of God, the sacraments, food, water, air, family, confreres, fellow believers." (He called for the congregation to applaud the families of the two men about to profess.)

We have everything we need because of God. We don’t "live our lives out of a sense of obligations or burdens."

When we read the Bible, we read passages with attention to their context. For example, today’s gospel from Matt. 19 (the rich man who asked Jesus what he had to do to gain eternal life) comes after Jesus’ teaching on marriage, which in some respects struck the apostles as burdensome; but Jesus insisted that it’s been a gift of God from the beginning of creation; then Jesus blesses the children brought to him (whom the apostles think are an annoyance). The rich young man seems to approach the commandments as obligations or burdens to be borne, but Jesus sees them as God’s gifts of love for his holy people.

What is our attitude toward keeping the commandments? We don’t achieve salvation by checking off boxes like the rich man who kept the various laws. Rather, we see Jesus as God’s greatest gift to us, and the vocation of the professed religious to follow Jesus as a great gift of God’s love. We state as much in our formula of profession: God consecrated us when we were baptized and gave us Jesus as his greatest gift of love, who in his love calls us to follow him. Our response in love is to offer ourselves totally to God.

Today we pray for Pascal and John, and we ask them to pray for us their brothers, that we may all see the gift that is our Salesian vocation. The vows aren’t obligations but gifts of God’s love. Our confreres are gifts of his love. The young whom we serve are God’s gifts to us.

As Matt. 19 continues, Peter asks Jesus what their reward will be for following him. Jesus promises him more opportunities to love God through more brothers and sisters. Then Jesus continues on his way to Jerusalem to meet the cross—which he turns into a sign of his love.

Finally, Fr. Tran urged the two brothers to see their formators as guides who will help them respond to God’s love.

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