Perpetual profession in the General House
It is rather rare for a perpetual profession to be held in the General House before the Superior General in person. There have been, perhaps, two or three in the whole history of the house. On Saturday, 26 January, at 11.30, we had the perpetual profession of Br Marcelo Bonhemberger, of the Province of « Rio Grande do Sul ». The solemn ceremony was part of a eucharistic celebration, presided over by the chaplains of the house. There were about 70 of us : the Superior General and all his Council, the community of the General House and the lay people working there, Brothers from almost all the Marist communities of Italy, and some from the spirituality centre of Manziana. In short, more than fifteen nationalities were represented.
After a word of welcome from Br Pietro Bettin, superior of the community, Br Manuir José Mentges, here from the Province of Rio Grande do Sul for the occasion, read out a message from the Provincial, Br Inácio Etges.
The Rite of Profession took place after the Liturgy of the Word. It consisted of a dialogue between Brs Emili Turú and Marcelo B., the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the expression of the formula of consecration by which Br Marcelo engaged himself to live the Marist life out of love for Jesus Christ in perpetuity. Thus he testified freely, before the Superior General, to his willingness to live the evangelical counsels of poverty, obedience and chastity for life, in accordance with our Constitutions.
Br Emili then addressed some words to Br Marcelo and all present. Among the ideas mentioned : the meaning of the vows, the fact of being the maternal face of the Church, the Church of the apron – service -, the sense of mission. As community, he said, we are all not only witnesses of his promises, but also companions in his engagement and an expression of the diversity and internationality of the Institute. Br Marcelo then received the traditional profession cross, a gift from his Province, from the Superior General, and the icon of Pentecost offered by him and the General Council.
At the end of the celebration, it was Br Marcelo’s turn to express his sentiments on this special day and his gratitude to his parents, family, the Superior General and his Council, the Provincial and his Council, and all the Brothers who had accompanied him at the various stages of his formation, as well as his current community and his friends.
Everyone then went to the Sala Champagnat for the aperitives and afterwards to the dining room for the festive meal.
It was truly a day of joy and festivity around our new perpetually professed, Br Marcelo Bonhemberger.
A brief biography : born in São Domingos do Sul, Marcelo entered the Marist juniorate in 2001, at Lajeado. In 2004 he did his postulancy in Vacaria, and the following year he entered the novitiate of Passo Fundo, where he made his first vows in 2006.
From 2007 to 2009 he did his Scholasticate at Nossa Senhora das Graças, in Viamão, and then up to 2011, he was part of the community of the « Colegio Marista Santa Maria », in Santa Maria. In June that year, he arrived in the community of the General House in Rome, to follow studies in philosophy at the Pontifical Salesian University.