Our brother Tiago makes final profession

On Tuesday, May 6, 2014, the family of the Brothers and Sisters of Sion organized a moving event to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the death of founder, Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne.

In the beautiful convent in Ein Karem, the place where he is buried, a solemn mass was celebrated in which many priests from different congregations celebrated with the chief celebrant, Father Ribeiro Donizetti, the superior general of the Brothers of Sion.

The festive occasion had another reason, an especially joyful one: Brother Tiago, a young brother who came to Israel from Brazil about three years ago and has become a beloved member of our kehilla in Jerusalem, made his perpetual profession before the congregation and the Universal Church, consecrating his life to God according to the spirituality and the constitutions of his congregation.

For us, the participants in this event, it was a great privilege to encourage him and strengthen him in such an important stage in his life, on a way from which there is no return. With him we had prepared the liturgy in the weeks before the celebration, we set up a diverse choir, together with our Salesian brothers and other friends joined us and we experienced with him the enthusiasm and were happy with him as the time approached.

At 18.00, the liturgy began with the song “Be joyful Daugter of Zion”, the words of the prophet that expressed so well the reason for the gathering, as did the other songs chosen tastefully. The prayer was conducted in different languages, a fact that points to the diverse reality of the Congregation of Sion, despite its small dimensions it is present in quite a few countries around the globe.

At the heart of the ceremony – the reception of Tiago within his religious family forever – a song that was composed especially for the occasion was played for the first time: “Memorare” (in Hebrew), a prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary which was very close to the heart of Father Marie-Alphonse, and which Tiago had wanted translated into Hebrew.

The song can be heard here

The joy continued after the mass when we gathered in the refectory of the convent and were served all kinds of delicious food. A group of young people, friends of Tiago, brought him into the room in a solemn procession, after having raised him up on a chair, as is demanded at every wedding according to tradition. The evening drew to a close at about 22.00 with traditional Brazilian songs, after most guests had already gone home and only a small group remained behind in order to rejoice and make the man of the party happy too.

May God bless and keep him each day, in the new life he has begun. We as a community, the community that welcomed him willingly and lovingly from the time of his first visit, will continue to accompany him and support him.