On Saturday, August 28, the feast of St. Augustine, our father, in the outdoor pavilion of St. Anne's Shrine in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, thousands of miles away from their homeland, but surrounded by hundreds of their fellow countrymen, parishioners, friends, and members of the Assumption family, male and female, Brothers Clemente Boleche, Jr., Alex Castro, and Carlos Melocoton made their first vows, committing their lives freely and fully to God in the Augustinians of the Assumption. Their profession marks another important step in the dream of an Assumptionist foundation in the Philippines, scheduled for the summer of 2006. The ceremony was capped off by a delightful and delicious meal of Filipino dishes, including lechon (roast pig). Filipino song and dance followed, of course. Together with their brother, Ricky Montañez, who made his first vows in January in Chile, Clem, Alex, and Carlos will begin seminary studies at St. John's Seminary in Boston in September.

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