Piedecuesta, Region of Santander — In an atmosphere of deep gratitude and hope for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the San Alfonso Novitiate in Piedecuesta, Colombia, was filled with celebration last Sunday, January 4, 2026. Seven young novices from various units across Latin America and the Caribbean professed their temporary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for a period of one year.
The solemn Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Mauricio Monroy Cáceres, Provincial Superior of the Andino-Caribbean Province. Fr. Monroy received the vows of the newly professed on behalf of the Superior General and by legitimate delegation from the respective Provincial Superiors of Brasília, Curitiba, Mother of Perpetual Help, Nossa Senhora Aparecida, and Pedro Donders.
The Newly Professed This group of confreres reflects the multicultural richness and unity of the Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean. The newly professed are:
- Province of Brasília: Bruno de Mesquita Alves
- Province of Curitiba: Bruno Aparecido Catachi Moreno and Nilceu Conradi
- Province of Nossa Senhora Aparecida: João Marcelo Guedes Pereira
- Province of Pedro Donders: Nicolás José Alegre
- Province of Mother of Perpetual Help (Central America and the Caribbean): Juan Felipe Sánchez Cortés and Yeuris Antonio Quezada Batista
Community and Witnesses
The ceremony was attended by the formative community, led by the Novice Master, Fr. Jesús María Ortiz Orozco, and his socius, Fr. Orlando González Herrera, who served as official witnesses for the acts of profession.
The celebration was also joined by various confreres from Redemptorist communities in Colombia, religious from other congregations, and lay faithful from nearby pastoral communities, all of whom have accompanied these young men in their discernment process.
The Redemptorist Family offers a prayer of thanksgiving for the generosity of these confreres, asking the Most Holy Redeemer to grant them perseverance and fidelity in this new stage of their consecrated life, so that they may be authentic “Missionaries of Hope, in the footsteps of the Redeemer.”
Fr. Oscar David Tarazona Trujillo, CSsR
