PHOTOS | ‘I’m finally at my place’: Brother John of the Cross professes final vows with the Brothers of St. John
- Guest Contributor
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On the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Brother John of the Cross found his perpetual place in the Heart of Christ.
By Joe Donelson
“Keep your eyes always fixed on Jesus, no matter what life throws at you,” wrote Father Jesus Rodriguez, regional superior of the Brothers of St. John, to Brother John of the Cross on the day of his final profession.
On July 31 — the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola — Br. John made his solemn profession before the congregation at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Denver, giving his definitive “yes” to the vocation Christ has laid before him, praying that he “may have the strength to persevere until death in service of the Lord and in your religious family.”
In his homily, Father Rodriguez spoke of that very perseverance in religious life, referencing St. John of the Cross — whose name Brother John shares.
“Religious life is a progressive climb up a steep mountain,” he said. “It entails dying to oneself — often a lot of little deaths, and some very painful deaths that are necessary. Because the Cross is what gives shape to religious life.”
Br. John knows this intimately. After a traumatic experience during his senior year of high school sparked a deep conversion, he decided to take his faith more seriously. But it wasn’t until World Youth Day Madrid in 2011 that the thought of religious life came to him. As he continued to grow in faith, he began to discern his vocation, which led him to enter formation with the Brothers of St. John nine years ago.
“In a certain sense, it’s daunting because I see all my weaknesses and frailties, which make you wonder if you can really live up to such a high calling,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s exciting, because you know that God’s grace will sustain you as long as you are seeking it out.”
In fact, that humility and bold perseverance lie at the heart of the community’s charism of seeking ever-deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus.
“To our community, I think it’s really the desire for this intimacy with the Lord Jesus,” said Father Francis of the Child Jesus, caretaker of the Regina Caeli Hermitage in Littleton. “Simplicity and intimacy with the Lord; this desire to share in the secrets of his heart, which are not necessarily sweet.”
It was that desire for intimacy — with both Christ and community — that first drew Br. John to the Brothers of St. John.
“I was drawn to this community because of the ‘mixed life’ we live between contemplation and action,” he explained. “This, for me, is the best of both worlds. I’m also drawn to the intellectual dimension of our charism, which insists on study and seeking the truth deeper and deeper within the context of a fraternal community.”
While the brothers share a commitment to study, prayer and fraternal life, their vocation also allows room for personal expression and creative evangelization. Br. John, a talented musician and digital evangelist, continues to pursue “artistic evangelization” through music and media projects like his Instagram account, @brotherjohnofthecross, alongside his formation.
“God most often does use our talents for his glory,” he told the Denver Catholic, “especially when we abandon it all to his will.”
(Photos by Joe Donelson)
Father Rodriguez agrees.
“Br. John is a gifted musician,” he said. “By his music, I think he will have an impact in the life of the brothers and ministry once he finishes his studies and is assigned to an apostolic priory.”
A testament to Br. John’s talent for and love of music, the Mass of Solemn Profession was steeped with beautiful hymnody, with the ensemble Gaudium Verum adding beauty and depth to the celebration and fostering a serene and prayerful atmosphere, highlighting the significance of the moment.
Amid this uplifting ambience, a quiet peace rested on Br. John’s face as he prostrated before the altar and took on his full religious name: Brother John of the Cross of the Annunciation.
“I am particularly drawn to the mystery of the Annunciation,” he shared, “when the angel Gabriel told [Mary] she would bear the Savior of the world, and she allowed God full permission to work his will in her life. It is in this spirit that I hope to live this definitive offering of my life in final vows.”
After the vows were professed, each brother approached Br. John, embracing him and pressing their foreheads together in a gesture of solidarity and welcome. Father Francis of the Child Jesus leaned in to whisper three things to the newly professed: Thank you for your gift of life. Welcome to the community. And have courage.
“Because if you want to live up to the faith,” Father Francis of the Child Jesus later said, “you need a lot of courage.”
That courage is rooted in meekness — the defining virtue of the community, according to Father Francis of the Child Jesus. Through Jesus’ perseverance and humility on the Cross, he showed what it is to be meek — a lesson that St. John learned from the foot of that same Cross. Today, the intimacy that the Brothers of St. John seeks after is ultimately an intimacy that requires a full sacrifice of self.
Br. John of the Cross, his superiors say, reflects that meekness in a most encouraging way. And, for his superiors and fellow community members, Br. John’s “yes” is a hope-filled encouragement to continue listening to God’s call.
“I hope that this event will at least remind us that a religious vocation remains a path to fulfillment,” Father Rodriguez said.
Br. John would agree.
“There was something about the beauty of a life radically given to God that sparked a desire in me, which only continued to grow over the years until I entered the Brothers of St. John in 2016,” he reflected. “It feels like the culmination of a long journey — but a very fruitful one. I’m grateful to God and to all the people that could come. I’m finally at my place.”
