The Final Profession for three students  took place at Marianella on Sunday 15th March, 2009 at 11 am Mass.

Br. Brian Nolan, Br.Tony Rice and Br.Sean Duggan took their final vows.

This final year has been a time for the students to deepen their appreciation of the religious way of life, the practical implications of evangelical chastity, poverty and obedience, the implications of community living and the serious unconditional nature of the commitment of Final Vows in the Congregation.

Looking Forward to Full Ministry by Helen O'Callaghan

THREE young men are set to make their final professions Redemptorists the highest number to do so in the last 10 years.

Brian Nolan from Limerick,Sean Duggan from Galway and Tony Rice from Belfast will make their final profession in the

Redemptorist Community Chapel in Rathgar, Dublin on March 15th, 2009.

"As Redemptorists, this is the definitive moment of commitment," said Tony Rice, who confirmed that all three men will go on to be ordained before Christmas this year . .

Explaining that he had felt a sense of vocation to the religious life even as a' teenager, he said: "When I talked it over at home, I was encouraged ' not to go in from school but to explore other possibilities that were open to me.

"So when I came back to my dad in my early 20s and talked about my vocation and desire to join the Redemptorists, he was happy to support me at that stage because I'd been working, I'd lived in my own place and had my own car. I had all of those things and still decided it wasn't the life for me."

The fact that all three had worked or studied at third level - Sean Duggan had finished his academic training as a -lawyer, while Brian Nolan worked with an electronics company -and were into their 20s before joining the order has enhanced their commitment, said Mr Rice, adding that he and his colleagues had all known Redemptorists while growing up.

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"A lot of the attraction we felt to the order was due to the individual Redemptorists that we knew. These were men who were convinced of the value of the work they were doing."

Pointing out that societal pressure may stop many young people from exploring a sense of vocation to the religious life, Mr Rice said: "When people find out what I'm doing, they're baffled as to why I'm doing it. . "If you have to justify it, there's an extra pressure that may not be attached to other life choices. People may stop talking to others about their sense of vocation, but the vocation is still there. It just takes more strength to explore."

Having three men make their final profession as Redemptorists is great cause for celebration, said Mr Rice: "We also hope to dispel any myths that this way of life is irrelevant."