May the Lord give you His peace! There are some things that are hard to explain in the written word. I am struggling to explain the joy and grace of this past weekend here in Costa Rica. Bro. Jim and I had a great retreat with the Franciscorps volunteers who work here in Costa Rica. They are five recent college graduates who have given a year of their lives to live in a faith-based community together while serving the poor here in Costa Rica. We did a similar retreat last weekend for the six Franciscorps volunteers in Syracuse, NY. Both retreats went very well. Here in Costa Rica, the volunteers’ prayerfulness and their insight were beautiful. I had a blast laughing with them and enjoying the beach. We returned to San José on Sunday morning as friars and guests began to arrive for the profession of solemn vows of Friars Walter, Marco and David. They are three fine men who made a life commitment to live the rule of St. Francis of Assisi. The liturgy was beautiful. The profession of vows was touching. The 500 + people who joined us in the celebration was inspiring. A number of sisters came as well as the 20 or so Capuchin Franciscan Friars, several Dominican friars and priests and seminarians of the Scalabrini Fathers. Family and friends of the friars as well as members of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) and the Franciscan Youth Movement (JUFRA) added so much to the celebration. We friars are so grateful for these three fine men who are forever our brothers. The joy of the day and power of this grace-filled moment are wonderful reminders of the incredible gift of every vocation in the service of the Church. Whatever part of the world we find ourselves in, it is still a wonderful time to be a Franciscan Friar. I spent part of the reception speaking with our friars from Honduras and some of the Capuchins from El Salvador about the current state of affairs in their respective countries. I had the honor to spend time with two young men from Nicaragua and two men from Costa Rica who are seriously discerning a call to Franciscan religious life. It was a great weekend and a wonderful reminder of the gift of fraternity and the grace of a vocation. Today is All Souls Day when we remember our dead. I am about to leave with the friars here in Alajuela for Mass at the cemetery where we will visit the graves of the friars who have died in this country. Even in death, they are our brothers. Even in death, we pray for them as we hope that they pray for us before the throne of God. Brothers pray for one another. Brothers support one another in the life commitment of living the Gospel. As we prayed yesterday at the solemn profession and as we pray this morning, we all remember dear Fr. Shawn Nolan who died suddenly this past Friday at the age of 86 years. For all of us, Shawn was a source of great wisdom. As a teacher and then minister provincial and then as a great retreat director and a wonderful spiritual director, Shawn nurtured and cared for many religious vocations. Dear God, please show our brother Shawn the beauty of your mercy. Dear God, bless Walter, Marco, and David in your service and the service of the Church. Dear God, please bless and care for the Franciscorps volunteers here in Costa Rica and in Syracuse. It was a great weekend, but still hard to describe the host of emotions. Peace and all good!