On Sunday, August 2nd, the Midwest Augustinians welcomed in their newest friar as 23-year-old David Relstab made his first profession of vows during a small ceremony at St. Rita Shrine Chapel in Chicago.
The first profession, which is to be renewed annually until the solemn profession of vows, comes at the close of the Novitiate, a yearlong period of prayer and contemplation during which men discerning a vocation are introduced to Augustinian community life. Within the novitiate year, each man makes a personal decision to move forward within a temporary profession of vows, or to pursue a different vocational path.
As is increasingly common among our new vocations, Br. David felt drawn to the communal life of the Order after reading St. Augustine's Confessions. "I saw myself relating to what Augustine experienced in his own life. Then I witnessed how their sense of community wasn't only evident in their houses, but it also resonates in the communities where they serve,” he said.