“To the Praise and Glory of the Most Holy Trinity:I, Fra David, since the Lord has inspired me
to follow more closely the Gospel and the footprints of our Lord Jesus Christ, before the Brothers here present and into your hands, Brother Pierbattista,with firm faith and free will, vow to God, the Holy and Almighty Father,to live for all my life in obedience, without anything of my own and in chastity,and, at the same time, I profess to keep faithfully the way of life and Rule of the Friars Minor.”
With the words of this formula of solemn profession, Fra David Grenier, a young Franciscan from Quebec, consecrated himself to the Lord for the rest of his life on Saturday, October 4, 2014.
Solemn profession is the last rite by which a man is fully incorporated into the Order of Friars Minor. After being called by the Custos, the candidate pronounces the powerful words, “Here I am”. Then follows a dialogue between the superior of the Custody and the candidate engage in a dialogue in which the latter undertakes to espouse Franciscan spirituality: chastity, obedience, poverty, prayer, fraternal service… After that, the saints are invoked to “help” David using the Gregorian litany of saints and including the many saints the Order has given to the Church over the centuries. The last rite is that of profession per se.
For David, this is culmination of a life course that he describes as “heterogeneous”. After studying music and theater for several years, he undertook an engagement at the Sanctuary of Saint Joseph in Montreal. “I worked there for five years,” he recalls. “I did a little of everything: sacristan, guide for pilgrims, acting in a theatrical Way of the Cross, leader in youth ministry and with disabled people. In recollected thought, I realize that I find these different activities here in the Custody. So many little things made me see that God had a plan for me before I had one.”
During his years of service in Quebec David heard the call from God to follow him. Made sensitive to Franciscan spirituality by his parents, who are tertiaries of the Order, the newly professed friar says that he heard the call to come to the Holy Land in prayer. “Discovering their history convinced me that my discernment was correct.”
So it was that on the feast day of Saint Francis David Grenier gave his life to Christ, “in the very place where he gave his life for me,” he adds emotionally. Saint Francis and Mass at Calvary: two powerful symbols he also relates to. “I place myself under the protection of our holy founder at Calvary. Saint Francis greatly stressed following the poor, crucified Christ. It is part of the center of our spirituality.”
The Custody and congregation did not forget to pray for the Jews and Muslims on this day when they are celebrating their holidays: the former, the day of pardon, Yom Kippur, and the latter, the feast of the sacrifice, Id el-Adha. Through the intercession of the Little Poor Man, they prayed for peace for the Holy Land and the whole region, an intention that Fra David also holds.
Fra David’s joy does not end here. While working at his new assignment in the Custody’s music school, he will have to complete preparations for diaconal ordination this December. June 29th will mark the end of very significant year, with his entry into the priesthood. “This is a beautiful year,” he assures us. “I am aware that there will be big changes, lots of preparation, spiritual and psychological but also material and technical. But I am not alone in all this. This project is a project shared with God, a response to his call.”
The newly professed friar ends with a very Franciscan comment. “We say that we are in the hands of the Lord. The Lord himself tells us, “Do not be concerned with tomorrow, and let the pains of the day be sufficient thereto!”
N.K.
to follow more closely the Gospel and the footprints of our Lord Jesus Christ, before the Brothers here present and into your hands, Brother Pierbattista,with firm faith and free will, vow to God, the Holy and Almighty Father,to live for all my life in obedience, without anything of my own and in chastity,and, at the same time, I profess to keep faithfully the way of life and Rule of the Friars Minor.”
With the words of this formula of solemn profession, Fra David Grenier, a young Franciscan from Quebec, consecrated himself to the Lord for the rest of his life on Saturday, October 4, 2014.
Solemn profession is the last rite by which a man is fully incorporated into the Order of Friars Minor. After being called by the Custos, the candidate pronounces the powerful words, “Here I am”. Then follows a dialogue between the superior of the Custody and the candidate engage in a dialogue in which the latter undertakes to espouse Franciscan spirituality: chastity, obedience, poverty, prayer, fraternal service… After that, the saints are invoked to “help” David using the Gregorian litany of saints and including the many saints the Order has given to the Church over the centuries. The last rite is that of profession per se.
For David, this is culmination of a life course that he describes as “heterogeneous”. After studying music and theater for several years, he undertook an engagement at the Sanctuary of Saint Joseph in Montreal. “I worked there for five years,” he recalls. “I did a little of everything: sacristan, guide for pilgrims, acting in a theatrical Way of the Cross, leader in youth ministry and with disabled people. In recollected thought, I realize that I find these different activities here in the Custody. So many little things made me see that God had a plan for me before I had one.”
During his years of service in Quebec David heard the call from God to follow him. Made sensitive to Franciscan spirituality by his parents, who are tertiaries of the Order, the newly professed friar says that he heard the call to come to the Holy Land in prayer. “Discovering their history convinced me that my discernment was correct.”
So it was that on the feast day of Saint Francis David Grenier gave his life to Christ, “in the very place where he gave his life for me,” he adds emotionally. Saint Francis and Mass at Calvary: two powerful symbols he also relates to. “I place myself under the protection of our holy founder at Calvary. Saint Francis greatly stressed following the poor, crucified Christ. It is part of the center of our spirituality.”
The Custody and congregation did not forget to pray for the Jews and Muslims on this day when they are celebrating their holidays: the former, the day of pardon, Yom Kippur, and the latter, the feast of the sacrifice, Id el-Adha. Through the intercession of the Little Poor Man, they prayed for peace for the Holy Land and the whole region, an intention that Fra David also holds.
Fra David’s joy does not end here. While working at his new assignment in the Custody’s music school, he will have to complete preparations for diaconal ordination this December. June 29th will mark the end of very significant year, with his entry into the priesthood. “This is a beautiful year,” he assures us. “I am aware that there will be big changes, lots of preparation, spiritual and psychological but also material and technical. But I am not alone in all this. This project is a project shared with God, a response to his call.”
The newly professed friar ends with a very Franciscan comment. “We say that we are in the hands of the Lord. The Lord himself tells us, “Do not be concerned with tomorrow, and let the pains of the day be sufficient thereto!”
N.K.