Br. Damien Van Amerongen, F.H.S., made his final vows on Saturday (May 30) with the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit, a community founded in the Diocese of Phoenix with the mission to tend to the pastoral and spiritual needs of Native American communities. Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui presided over the liturgy held at St. John the Baptist Parish in Laveen, Ariz.
Below is a letter from the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit describing what final vows are, sharing significant details of the liturgy and explaining what this step means for Br. Damien and the community.
If you haven’t heard the exciting news, Br. Damien made his final promises to the community this past Saturday, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for him.
We get a lot of questions about the different stages of the formation process, one of the questions being, what are final promises?
In religious communities, final promises are made during a Mass. It is a lifelong commitment a religious brother or sister makes to live the way of life of a particular religious community. In the case of the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit, we follow the way of life of St. Francis.
Another name for “final promises” is “final vows.” During the Mass, religious brothers and sisters say “yes” to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
A brother or sister who makes final promises dedicates their life to God, in service to the mission of their religious community for the rest of their lives.
At Br. Damien’s final promises, he laid prostrate, a visible sign of his promise to lay down his life for God.
When Br. Damien made final promises, he dedicated his life to God and committed to living the Rules of St. Francis and the statues of the FHS order. He committed to living our mission, serving underserved Native communities, for the rest of his life.
We had the joy of welcoming newly ordained, Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui who received Br. Damien’s final professions. Bishop Bui gave a beautiful homily, reminding us that God chooses us before we choose Him. He has a plan for us. During Br. Damien’s final promises, He processed into the Church carrying a lit candle, a symbol of his baptismal candle. It’s a beautiful symbol to show that God had this plan for Br. Damien at his baptism.
Another beautiful part of final promises is a prayer known as the Suscipe, meaning to “receive.” It’s a prayer of surrender to the Lord. Each religious order prays a slightly different prayer, but the message is the same: it’s a prayer of giving everything to God.
At Br. Damien’s final promises, he prayed the Suscipe twice and on the third time, the rest of the men in our community who have made final professions joined in. It was a reminder to Br. Damien that he is not alone on this journey. He is part of a brotherhood of other Friars who have also dedicated their lives to God.
If you missed Br. Damien’s final promises, you can watch the livestream here!
Thank you to everyone who has supported Br. Damien over the years either with your prayers or financial support. It all made it possible for him to make final promises.
Br. Damien will continue his seminary formation to the priesthood at Nazareth Seminary in the Diocese of Phoenix. Please continue to pray for him in his formation journey.
In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
The Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit
