At least three men and six women who were born or are serving in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis took final vows in their religious communities this year.
As the Catholic Church celebrates vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life during National Vocation Awareness Week Nov. 3-9, The Catholic Spirit is highlighting those commitments in these pages.
Susan Klemond spoke with Nicole Bettini, a consecrated virgin and the delegate for consecrated life in the archdiocese, as Klemond detailed the stories of two people who recently were ordained or took final vows: Oblate of the Virgin Mary Father Jonathon Hank, a native of Corcoran, and Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sister Laura Holupchinski of St. Paul.
Another religious priest, a brother and five more religious sisters also appear in these below, with summaries edited from material provided. Archbishop Bernard Hebda addresses vocations in his “Only Jesus” column. In a commentary Father Mark Pavlak, vocations director for the archdiocese, urges those who feel called to a religious vocation to take a leap of faith and actively explore the possibility. In his column “Faith Fundamentals,” Father Michael Van Sloun, as part of a series of columns on holy orders, makes the point that God alone calls men to priestly vocations. And in a Q&A Christina Capecchi talks with John Flanagan, executive director of The Labouré Society in Eagan, a nonprofit that helps Catholics eliminate college debt to pursue priesthood and religious life.
Christian Brother Matthew Kotek
Christian Brother Matthew KotekFinal, perpetual vows: July 27 at National Shrine of St. Thérèse, Darien, Illinois
First profession: July 2018
Entrance into the community: Postulancy, July 2015; novitiate, July 2017
Current assignment: Vocations, Midwest Province, Minneapolis
Hometown and home parish: La Crosse, Wisconsin; St. Joseph
Jesuit Father Minh Le
Jesuit Father Minh LePriestly ordination: June 8, Church of the Gesu, Milwaukee
Final, perpetual vows: Aug. 8, 2015, St. Thomas More, St. Paul
Entrance into the community: Aug. 24, 2013
Current assignment: Ministry and studies in California
Hometown and home parish: St. Paul, St. Adalbert
Missionary Sister of St. Peter Claver M. Magdalena Nguyen
Missionary Sister of St. Peter Claver M. Magdalena NguyenFinal, perpetual vows: Sept. 8, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maplewood
Vows preceding final vows: Poverty, chastity, obedience
Entrance into the community: Feb. 16, 2014
Current assignment: Vietnamese administration at Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver, St. Paul
Hometown and home parish: Phuoc An, Ninh Thuan province, Vietnam; Our Lady Help of Christians
Dominican Sister of Mary Mother of the Eucharist Maria Francisco
Dominican Sister of Mary Mother of the Eucharist Maria FranciscoFinal, perpetual vows: July 25, Ann Arbor, Michigan
First vows: July 26, 2019
Entrance into the community: Aug. 28, 2016
Current assignment: Teaching and evangelization
Hometown and home parish: Bloomington, Nativity of Mary
Handmaid of the Heart of Jesus Sister Teresa Rose
Final, perpetual vows: June 8, Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New Ulm
Temporary vows: First vows, 2019; renewal of vows, 2022
Entrance into the community: Aug. 21, 2016
Current assignment: Nativity of Our Lord parish and school, St. Paul; vocations promoter and local superior for convent, also in St. Paul
Hometown and home parish: Gaithersburg, Maryland; St. John Neumann
Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sister Leann Luecke
Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sister Leann LueckeFinal, perpetual vows: June 29, Our Lady of Grace, Edina
Temporary vows: June 8, 2018, Lima, Peru
Entrance into the community: June 6, 2014
Current assignment: Office of Communication for Evangelization of Pro Ecclesia Sancta (PES) and Catholic Advance Movement (lay movement of PES), both in Twin Cities
Hometown and home parish: Cedar Falls, Iowa; St. Patrick
Sister of Life Martha Maria Guadalupe
Sister of Life Martha Maria GuadalupeFinal, perpetual vows: Aug. 6, St. Patrick Cathedral, New York
Temporary vows: First profession, Aug. 4, 2019; renewal of vows, June 24, 2022
Entrance into the community: Sept. 10, 2016
Current assignment: New York Visitation Mission, assisting pregnant women
Hometown and home parish: Mendota Heights; St. Joseph, West St. Paul
