New Novitiate Class in Godfrey

With only a couple of weeks of breathing space after the first vows of their previous class of novices on August 1, the staff of the interprovincial Oblate novitiate in Godfrey, IL, has welcomed a new group of young men who hope to pronounce their first vows as Oblates a year from now.

On August 17, 2005, the Director of Novices, Fr. James Deegan, OMI, formally accepted seven new novices into the program. They come from the United States Province, Assumption Province in Canada, and the Zambian Delegation. 

(United States) Webert Merilan, Lucio Cruz, Bart Zavaletta)

(Assumption, Canada) Krzystof Adamiec

(Zambia) Maurice Munyati, Michael Tembo, Pius Musilizo

Besides Fr. Deegan, the staff includes Fr. John Collet, OMI, and Fr. Rocky Grimard, OMI.

Fr. Rocky joins the staff this year from Assumption Province in Canada.  A former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, for the past two years he has been taking courses in religious formation and spirituality in Chicago.

NOVITIATE COMMUNITY, 2005-06

l-r: Fr. Rocky Grimard, O.M.I., Webert Merilan, Maurice Munyati, Lucio Cruz, Bart Zavaletta, Fr. James Deegan, O.M.I., Michael Tembo, Pius Musilizo, Krzystof Adamiec, Fr. John Collet. O.M.I.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FR. JOHN COLLET, OMI