Leaving behind the bright and happy Guadalajara lands that make up the landscape that surrounds Guadalajara, Mexico, on September 23, 2020, when the day was almost the entire time cycle, four young theatine postulants from the Province “Our Lady of Purity” from the United States of America, they landed in Fiumicino, Italy, to begin a new journey in their religious formation.
Those four applicants were Salvador Alejandro Maldonado Torres, Luis Alberto Pacheco León, Sebastián López Ortega and Víctor Rosales Martínez, who were temporarily incorporated into the House of Sant’Andrea della Valle to arrange everything necessary in order to enter, as per the law and our theatine liturgy, to the canonical novitiate year.
The proper admission to the novitiate took place on September 29, 2020, during the recitation of the Office of the Sixth Hour, which began at 11:15 a.m. The liturgical celebration to which we mention was presided over by our Superior General, the Rt. Father Salvador Rodea González, C.R., who in the short homily he addressed to those present, highlighted the joy that it meant to all that four candidates for the novitiate were admitted to this stage of theatine formation. Our Order of Regular Clerics Theatines, called to be a sign of reform in the Church, is thus renewed with the contribution of new candidates who feel impelled to incarnate the theatine charism.
Along with Father General was Fr. Carmine Mazza, C.R., Provincial Superior of the Regular Clerics Theatines in Italy and seasoned Master of Novices in this experience of the International Theatine Novitiate. To Father Carmine the new Theatine novices were entrusted, according to the opportune modality present in the rite of admission.
In this way, during the next year, the Sacred House of San Pablo el Mayor, in Naples, will rekindle with hope, by giving theatine shelter to the vocational expectations expressed by Alex, Luis, Sebastián and Víctor.
We also take the opportunity to thank Fr. Francisco Javier Vaca González, CR, who has accompanied these young people in our Community of Guadalajara who have set out in the footsteps of Juan Pedro Carafa, Cayetano de Thiene, Bonifacio. de’Colli and Pablo Consiglieri.