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Four Legionary Brothers Prepare to Make Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience
On August 10, 2024, four novices at the Legionaries of Christ’s seminary in Cheshire, Connecticut, will make their first profession of the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Keeping his gaze fixed on Jesus and Mary, his mother, and relying on them, the Legionary publicly professes the evangelical counsels, binding himself to his Lord and Master through the vows. (Christus Vita Vestra, Ratio Institutionis of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, 170)
The brothers make these vows as they enter the next stage of formation, humanities. Humanities is the time when a Legionary studies the heart of man in order to engage culture. He continues to deepen his response to Christ, who calls him to live in the world but not be of the world. The humanities program in Cheshire, Connecticut, lasts for two years and includes Legionaries coming from 6 novitiates from around the world (The United States, Mexico, Europe, Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia). At the end of humanities, the Legionary renews his vows for another three years before heading to Rome for the study of philosophy.
Meet the four brothers about to take this step in their journey with Christ and read their testimonies here.
Meet
Br. Matthew Artall
“Christ does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” I’ve never related to a quote from outside of the Bible more than this one.
I grew up in south Louisiana, attending Catholic school and Mass. Unfortunately, and despite my mom’s best efforts, I didn’t want anything to do with God. I always wanted to help people, so I searched for any other way to find happiness throughout high school. I searched for where I wanted to be. All this time, Christ was waiting patiently.
After graduating high school, God brought a wonderful and holy girl into my life. She challenged me to spend time with God and to know Him. We began dating when I went to Georgia Tech in Atlanta to study Mechanical Engineering.
While in my second year of college, I was considering proposing to my girlfriend of two years. I had also begun to be more involved with the campus Catholic Center at that time. I prayed an hour each week in front of the Eucharist. The more I went to adoration, the more I noticed God drawing me closer to Himself—it was clear He really loved me and wanted me. Soon, I began to ask Jesus what He wanted for my life.
In one of my treasured holy hours before the Blessed Sacrament, I was reading about the life of St. Teresa of Avila. I was astounded when she left everything to follow God’s call, and her dad approved! In that very same hour, God called me, “Come be my priest.” With a “YES!” God and I began the journey of discernment. He gave me the realization, at that moment, that the priesthood was actually the fulfillment of my desires to help, to love, and to give my whole life for everyone I meet. I told my girlfriend that night that I needed to follow this through, and we parted ways on excellent terms. Over the next year, I slowly left the path to a career in engineering for the journey of discernment.
During that time, I met the Legion and Regnum Christi. I participated in RC Mercy Missions and visited the Legion’s seminary in Cheshire, Connecticut. Almost exactly one year after beginning to discern the priesthood, I entered the Legionary novitiate.
God revealed that this mission to help Jesus save every soul on earth and to serve the Church and Regnum Christi in a passionate brotherhood that I’ve come to love is His calling for me. It’s clear now that the Legion is the place where my desire for souls, for all people, and for God meet.
Meet
Br. Kieran Hamilton
My name is Brother Keiren Hamilton. I am a novice at the Legionaries of Christ Novitiate and College of Humanities. Several years back, as a teen, I visited the Legion’s Sacred Heart Apostolic School in Rolling Prairie, Indiana. I loved that experience so much that I couldn’t wait to attend the school. That decision surprised both my family and me.
My years at Sacred Heart were some of the best of my life, and the things I learned there will stay with me forever. As I entered my senior year, however, I found myself caught in a dilemma. I loved the Legion, but I wasn’t quite sure if I was called to be a priest. I had the desire, but I didn’t know if I had the call.
During that same year, several of my classmates and I visited the Legion’s Novitiate in Cheshire multiple times. Each time I wondered, am I meant to be here? Is this where God wants me to be? The more I prayed about it, the more I felt that the best choice was to at least try the Candidacy program. I loved it! It answered so many questions for me and showed me that the best choice sometimes is to follow your heart and your conscience when you don’t hear a clear answer.
Following my heart led me to a decision I know I won’t regret: giving God the first shot at my life.
Meet
Br. Vincent Le
My parents made a tremendous sacrifice when they emigrated away from the horrors of the Vietnam War. They left everything and everyone behind and headed to the United States. With barely an ounce of hope left in humanity, and no guarantee of a future. The only thing holding them together was their faith in God.
My parents’ perseverance and their example are what impelled me to give God a chance in my own life. While finishing my second year at Seminole State College, I was looking forward to all that life had to offer me. During the Spring semester of that same year, I met a newly ordained Legionary priest who said to me, “I never found true love until I lived with a hundred single men.” As odd as that sounded to me at the moment, it stirred a curiosity that began to burn in my heart. My purpose in life began to shift, and the empty promises of this world no longer appealed to me.
The following summer I was invited to visit the Legionaries of Christ Novitiate and College of Humanities in Cheshire, Connecticut and my spontaneous “yes” that I thought would last only weeks evolved into a total surrender to God.
Meet
Br. Christian Patterson
I grew up in a large Catholic family in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. I am one of seven children – having six brothers and one sister. My parents are both Regnum Christi members and our family has been involved in the Legion’s youth apostolates for as long as I can remember.
I had always dreamt of becoming a priest. This dream was fundamental to the development of my faith. At the end of my sophomore year in high school, I got the opportunity to visit Sacred Heart Apostolic School for a retreat during Holy Week. The retreat was powerful – an experience that made a huge impact on my life. But as positive as that experience was, I didn’t feel called to attend the Apostolic School at that point.
Two years later, while studying engineering, I felt like I was stuck and had no purpose in life. I knew I needed to seriously search for God’s will for my life. I was invited to participate in a spiritual exercises retreat in Muenster, Saskatchewan, and it immediately felt like “home” to me.
Through prayer and discernment, I felt sure that God was calling me to be his priest. In faith, I took the step to join the Legionary Novitiate in Cheshire, Connecticut, and here, I continue the pursuit of serving Christ my whole life.
