Come to the Solemn Profession of Vows for Friar Joseph Martin Gia Hoang, on August 2, 7PM, in Hermosa Beach, CA (Near Los Angeles)! At the same ceremony, Chris Garcia and Angel Garcia will be making their first profession of vows (Vows for three years only). The ceremony will be in the context of the sacred Mass celebrating the feast of Mary and the church where the order first called “home” over 800 years ago; Our Lady of the Angels, also known as the “Portiuncula”.
This will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Franciscan History and Charism, the meaning of the Vows, and it will be a chance to see and meet many of the friars of our Province. There will also be food after! It starts at 7PM, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church 244 Prospect Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
Friars to Be Professing Vows:
Friar Joseph Martin on the left (in middle) and Friars Chris and Angel Garcia on the Right (two rightmost friars)
A bit more on the feast of Our Lady of the Angels of Portiuncula:
The Portiuncula was one of the small churches Francis of Assisi repaired after hearing Jesus say to him “Francis Rebuild My Church which you can see is falling into ruin”. (So small, you can see it inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli where it is today.) Francis loved this church especially because it was named after Our Mother Mary, and because it was on a small and humble plot of land, thus his nick-name the “Portiuncula”, or “Little 
Portion”. Francis would pray for hours in this church, and it became like his Novitiate, in his formation in Religious Life, as he meditated especially on the episodes of Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit (as he would later refer to Her), and sought her intercession and formation to teach him to follow Jesus Her Son. After the Lord gave Francis brothers, the early friars also lived in this church, prayed together, and from there went out to serve the lepers, do small jobs in exchange for food to eat, and preach repentance and the nearness of the Kingdom of God. Thus Francis and the early friars lived like Jesus and the first Disciples, learning from The Master, in the Home of their Heavenly Mother.
I hope you will join us! email or call me for more information.
Fr. Paul Gawlowski OFM Conv., Vocation Director
vocations@franciscanfriars.org 510-671-0537