On July 11, 2020, Friar Marvin Voo made his first profession into the Order of Friars Minor of the Custody of St Anthony Malaysia- Singapore-Brunei.
Receives the Friar Minor’s habit and cord with the three knots symbolises the three vows he temporarily professed which are to live all the days of his life in obedience, without anything of his own and in chastity.
The First Profession is the official entry into the Order of Friars Minor and it comes after a year of Postulancy and one year of Novitiate. Postulancy can be likened to a year of probation. During this time, the gradual transition of culture and intensification of fraternal living help to make clear a candidate’s personal and individual inspiration for being called to the life, spirit and mission of the Friars Minor. Novitiate is a time to consolidate and further clarify his vocation intentions as he prepares for the First Profession. During Novitiate, the candidate receives the Friar Minor’s habit and the cord without any knot because he has not taken the vows of poverty, obedience and chastity. This was the path Marvin Voo took over the last few years.
The Provincial Minister of San Pedro Bautista Friar Cielito R. Almazon OFM received Marvin’s profession.
Friar Marvin made his First Profession at the Minor Basilica Santuario de San Pedro Bautista Parish, Quezon City, Philippines. The profession, made into the hands of the Provincial Minister, Friar Cielito R. Almazan OFM, was for 16 months. The next milestone in Friar Marvin’s journey would be the renewal of profession to be held on April 16 2021 (the traditional date of St Francis’ profession into the hands of the Pope), with the other friars in formation. At his profession, the newly-professed Marvin received his knotted cord.
The next day, he flew back to Malaysia and joined the community in Ayer Hitam, Penang.
The Penang Community comprises Friars Marvin, Oliver, Arul , Timothy (Postulant) and John Soh.
Friar John Paul Tan, OFM examines how our Custody grew rapidly in the 1950’s, and how our simple brotherhood spread throughout Malaysia and Singapore.
The history of our Custody is very rich and spans over more than 50 years. It all began with Blessed Gabriele Allegra, OFM, who was best known for his important work of translating the Bible into Chinese.
Bukankah kita seringkali dipenuhi dengan keraguan? Namun, iman kita mengatakan bahawa Tuhan senantiasa menyampaikan kehendak-Nya kepada kita. Pesanan Tuhan itu adalah konsisten, dan utuh. Kita tidak pernah bersendirian dalam perjalanan ini. Yesus memberikan kita Roh Kudus untuk memimpin kita dalam mengenali “tanda ” yang menunjukkan kita ke hala tuju yang benar.
Saksikan renungan salah seorang friar yang terlibat dalam Promosi Panggilan. Friar David Au, OFM menggambarkan perjalanan beliau sebagai seorang Fransiskan.
Don’t we all long for that kind of clarity? Nonetheless, our faith assures us that God is always communicating his will to us. God’s message is consistent, sure, and irrefutable. We are not alone on this journey; Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us on the way to read the “signs” that point us in the right direction.
Check out this reflection by one of our friars involved in promoting vocations. Friar David Au, OFM describes his journey as a Franciscan friar.
