Last weekend, our postulant Isaac Webb became a novice at the Rite of Investiture at the San Lorenzo Seminary, Santa Ynez, California in the USA.

Fr John Celichowski OFM Cap, the Novice Director blessed the habits and caperones with Holy Water and then presented them to the novices saying:

“Brothers, receive the habit of probation in the Order of the Capuchin Friars Minor. It resembles the Cross and is a sign of your greater commitment to the service of Christ.”

Br Isaac from Toowoomba, Queensland is one of twelve children. They were all home schooled and are gifted in music. Br Isaac, who plays the flute said in a recent interview, “We use it (music) for our faith development every morning. We pray morning prayer, singing Psalms, Canticles and all the prayers of the Church all throughout our lives.”

Paul and Fiona Webb, the parents of Br Isaac are blessed to have a third child enter consecrated life. Nathan is a seminarian for the Diocese of Toowoomba, and his sister Nancy, now known as Sr Rose Patrick O’Connor is with the Sisters of Life.

On another continent, 11,525 km away from the family home, Br Isaac was the first of the ten novices to receive the habit. This is the habit of probation because novitiate is still a time of discernment before making vows. A caperone, a scapular-like additional cloth covering the chest and back was also blessed and distributed. This is an identifying feature of a Capuchin novice. This is removed when the novices make their First Vows at the end of the novitiate.

Please pray for Br Isaac and the other novices from North America and the Pacific during their twelve months of novitiate as they learn about and grow into being Capuchin friars following Christ through a life of consecration according to the pattern shown us by St Francis of Assisi.

If you would like to enquire about our Capuchin way of life, please contact our Vocation Director.