Redemptorist students receive the habit

Four students were invested with the Redemptorist habit Dec. 8 at a special Mass at the Redemptorist retreat house in Oconomowoc, WI. Receiving the distinctive habit is a special part of the novitiate, a year of prayer and study that helps students learn more about the Redemptorist way of life and further discern their call to the Congregation. During the novitiate, the students take a break from their academic studies (at St. John’s University in New York City for the students from the Baltimore and Denver Provinces) and spend the year at Villa Redeemer in Glenview, IL.

The four novices who received the habit are: Jacky Merilan (English-speaking region of the Caribbean in the Baltimore Province); Aaron Meszaros (Denver Province); Marco Limberger (Cologne, Germany); and Larry Lynch (Quebec, Canada).

The Redemptorist habit is modeled after the typical clothing worn by diocesan priests in Naples, Italy, when the Congregation was founded in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Liguori. The habit is a simple, belted black cassock with a white linen collar. A 15-decade rosary is worn on the belt; in place of a cross at the end of the rosary is a medal with St. Alphonsus on one side and Jesus the Redeemer on the other.

For more information about becoming a Redemptorist or for information about vocations events, click here.