Friar Rumildo Yrrazabal Britez, Friar David Miguel Lo Russo Seia, and Friar Boris Eduardo Montilva Bermúdez took a new step in their vocational journey during a solemn celebration that brought together religious from three provinces of the Order
“What are you doing here?” With this question began the homily of Friar José María Sánchez, Vicar of Spain for the Province of Santo Tomás de Villanueva, during the simple religious profession of Friar Rumildo Yrrazabal Britez, Friar David Miguel Lo Russo Seia, and Friar Boris Eduardo Montilva Bermúdez. A question addressed to the three new professed, but also to all those present, which summarized the meaning of a vocation understood as a free and trusting response to God’s call.
The celebration, held at the convent of Monteagudo (Navarre), brought together a broad representation of the Augustinian Recollect Family. More than twenty priests and forty simple professed religious participated from the Provinces of Santo Tomás de Villanueva, San Nicolás de Tolentino, and Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, in addition to family members, friends, benefactors, and numerous faithful who wished to accompany this decisive moment in the lives of the three young religious.
A Question for a Lifetime
In his homily, Friar José María Sánchez invited the three professed to continually return to the question that had marked the beginning of the celebration.
“What are you doing here?”
“You have not come to do electrical repair work, nor to play football; you have come to engage with life”, he affirmed, recalling that religious profession is not the goal of the journey, but the beginning of a response that must be renewed each day.
Drawing on the experience of the prophet Elijah, he explained that consecrated life cannot be measured by visible successes. Elijah went from witnessing fire descending from heaven upon the sacrifice to experiencing discouragement and fragility. The religious is also called to discover that true strength is born of trust in God.
“The Lord will smile and look at you and say to you: ‘But do you trust in me or not?'”
The Vicar recalled that Christian freedom does not consist in asking God to adapt to our plans, but in identifying with Christ and allowing Him to guide one’s life.
A Mission Born of Community Life
Addressing Rumildo, David, and Boris, he explained that the evangelizing mission begins long before going out to meet others.
“You are called to build the Kingdom of God, you are called to evangelize; but before that, to fill your mind and your heart with theology, with philosophy, and especially with community life. And from there, let all of that overflow toward others.”
He also warned them against the temptation to think that vocation is a personal merit or a choice that places them above others. Recalling once again the prophet Elijah, he pointed out that the proper response is not born of self-sufficiency, but of the awareness of having been found by God.
“The response is different: that You have found me, Lord; that I want to let myself be found by You.”
In concluding the homily, he entrusted the three new professed to the Lord that they may persevere in the path they have begun.
“May He grant you a heart that is both strong and malleable; that allows itself to be built, that allows itself to be formed by that love of God.”
“No Vocation Is Lived in Solitude”
On behalf of the three new professed, Friar David Miguel Lo Russo Seia addressed words of gratitude to all those who have accompanied them during the novitiate.
“Today is a day of great joy, but also of profound gratitude, because no vocation is lived in solitude and, behind every step we take, there are many people who have walked with us, have sustained us, and have prayed for us,” he expressed.
The three religious especially thanked the presence of family members, friends, and those who followed the celebration from different parts of the world, as well as the welcome received during the novitiate in Monteagudo. They had words of recognition for the town, the workers of the house, and all the people who, with their closeness, their prayer, and their daily service, have contributed to making the convent a true home.
Their gratitude also extended to the Order of Augustinian Recollects for the formative experience lived during the novitiate and to the Virgin of the Way, to whom they entrusted the new stage that now begins. “Today we place our lives in the hands of the Lord and we do so knowing that we do not walk alone,” they concluded.
A Sign of Hope for the Church
With the profession of simple vows, Friar Rumildo Yrrazabal Britez, Friar David Miguel Lo Russo Seia, and Friar Boris Eduardo Montilva Bermúdez begin a new stage of their religious life as Augustinian Recollects, committing themselves to live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience within the community.
Their “yes” constitutes a sign of hope for the Order and for the Church, which continues to receive the witness of young people willing to respond with generosity to the call of Christ and to proclaim the Gospel from the charism of Saint Augustine.
