The year comes to an end at the La Valla Interprovincial Novitiate of Medellín

2021, in the Interprovincial Novitiate La Valla of Medellín, Colombia, has been a year lived with confidence in God and in his project, betting on the proper of formation with the conditions of the pandemic.

We planned the arrival of the first-year novices with the possibility of some delay due to the pandemic measures, but, fortunately, they all arrived as planned. Even without vaccinations in the first months of the year, we spent the first weeks with preventive measures. Everything went very smoothly and without any problems.

A new formation team started in 2021, Brothers Jesús Hernández (México Occidental) and Geovanni Velasco (Norandina), coming from Mexico and Ecuador, respectively. Jesús previously worked as provincial councillor of México Occidental and Geovanni as formator in the postulancy of Loja.

There was a lot of variety in the group of novices. Cristhian Sandoval (Norandina) spent six more months in the Novitiate, and on 16 July celebrated his first profession. The group of second year Novices consisted of four young men: Ernesto (Norandina), Gerardo and Mesvin (Central America) and Pedro (Central Mexico). Ernesto, in Medellín, Gerardo and Mesvin, in Guatemala, made their first profession on 8 December; and Pedro, in Mexico City, on 11 December. With surprise and joy, we received a large first year group, seven novices, representing four provinces: Hugo (México Occidental), Cristóbal (México Central), Gerson and Jorge (América Central), Saúl, Jhonathan and Xavier (Norandina). Jorge, Jhonathan and Xavier, in the course of the year, closed their formation processes and returned to their cities of origin. Hugo, Cristóbal, Gerson and Saúl continue their journey as second year novices in 2022.

Two postulants from the Province of México Occidental, Andrés and Albino, are currently preparing to enter the Novitiate next year. We hope that all goes well.

We thank the year 2021 for the richness of the interprovincial fraternal life, the strength of the interior experience nourished by the day to day and by the retreats of deepening, the formation that nourishes the mind, the heart and the life; and the mission, which, although progressively according to the evolution of the pandemic, offered us spaces to share fraternity with the children, young people and adults of our locality.

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Br. Alejandro Herrera Galicia, Master of Novices