St. Clare died in 1253 and became a saint in 1255. Imagine the celebrations in Assisi! Ever since, St. Clare’s Feast Day is celebrated on August 11th. This year, the US friars are celebrating by welcoming six men into postulancy, which is the first step on the road to becoming a friar. Fr. Sebastian Sandoval, OFM, Vocations Director, recently announced that one of those six men, Ivan Arevalo, is joining the Province of St. Barbara. Welcome Ivan!

My name is Ivan Arevalo, I am 36 years old. I have been working as a Director of Religious Education for the last 5 years. I have been a catechist and youth ministries leader for over 15 years. I was in seminary at Mt. Angel Abby in Oregon for a few years. I am the middle child; I have one older brother and a younger sister that went home to Jesus 30 years ago. I learned to cook and be self-sufficient through my mother. My Mother did not want my brother and I to be “useless” husbands, so she taught us how to manage a household. I am no Iron Chef, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. My favorite meal to make is lasagna with cheesecake for dessert. I look forward to meeting you in August.

Seven friars will also renew their vows on St. Clare’s Feast. Brother Jeff Shackleton OFM explains:

“The friars in temporary profession (that is, the guys who are no longer novices but have not yet made solemn vows) renew their vows on August 11, the Feast of St. Clare. We have them renew vows every year because their vows are, indeed, temporary. In our province, when you’re in temporary profession, you take vows for only a one-year period, so they come up for renewal annually. St. Clare’s feast day is an important date in the Franciscan world, so it seems appropriate to renew commitment to the way of St. Francis on such a day….

The men renewing vows for the year are: Bradley Tuel, Antonio (Tony) Luevano, Andrew Dinegar, Salvador Mejia, Adolfo Mercado, Nathaniel Tran, and Martin Sanabria.”