On April 25, 2015, Good Shepherd Sunday, Korean brother Andreas Kim Sung Dae, OP, made his Solemn Profession before fr. Javier Gonzalez, OP, Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of Our Lady of the Rosary. It was done within the Holy Mass, which was presided over by fr. Javier himself and concelebrated by eleven Dominican priests, including the eight from St. Dominic’s Priory, where br. Andres pursued his institutional studies. Our Dominican brothers, some Korean men and women, and a good numbers of sisters and lay faithful attended the religious event, which was held at the chapel of our St. Dominic’s Priory in Macau.
The entrance hymn introduced the deep meaning of the unique Eucharistic celebration:
Here I am Lord. Is it I, Lord? / I have heard You calling in the night. / I will go, Lord, if you lead me…
It is a highly significant Sunday of the year: the fourth Sunday after Easter, the Good Shepherd Sunday, and the 52nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations. After the Liturgy of the Word, fr.  Javier asked br. Andreas: What do you ask? His answer: God’s mercy and yours. Thereafter, the main celebrant pronounced his homily focused on the sacred readings: in the second reading done in Korean (1 Jn 3: 1-2), St. John the Evangelist tells us that we are children of God; in the third, the holy Gospel (Jn 10:11-18), Jesus presents himself as the Good Shepherd and us as his followers, as his sheep; in the first (Ac 4:8-12), St. Peters proclaims us that Jesus is the only savior, our savior. How wonderful our identity is! Hence, we have to try hard to behave as children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus and, in Jesus, brothers and sisters of one another. The Holy Gospel connects us with the especial meaning of this Sunday: the Good Shepherd Sunday. It is also vocation Sunday and invites us all to follow faithfully God’s call: to listen to God’s voice and to follow our Shepherd gratefully and humbly. Then the Prior Provincial answered the request of br. Andreas: “Yes, you – as we all – have God’s mercy, and also ours.â€
Thereafter, br. Andreas made his solemn profession: to be obedient, usque ad mortem – till death. He also promised to go to the missions when requested by the authorities. The Prior Provincial prayed the Prayer of Blessing over br. Andreas. The Ritual of the Solemn Profession ended with the singing of the well-known hymn to our Father St. Dominic the O Spem Miram.
The Offertory Hymn prayerfully confirmed br. Andreas’ free and total surrender to God:
Here I am and I long to do your will. / Here I am, I follow your commands. / Here I am! Here I am.
Finally, the Communion Hymn asked for God’s grace to be faithful:
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death into life.
After the communion prayer, br. Andreas spoke from the heart and gave thanks to each of the priests and brothers for the help they all gave him through the years at St. Dominic’s Priory. He told us that he has an only brother, younger than him, who is now a brother Franciscan. “We are not enemies,†he added jokingly. Throughout his profession, the newly solemnly professed Korean brother was deeply moved. He was also moved to tears when he expressed his gratitude to all. We all gave thanks to God for his love endures forever!
After the wonderful Eucharist and the moving solemn profession of br. Andreas, all the people attending shared with the Dominican community in a simple agape. Good Shepherd and Vocation Sunday 2015 was indeed a day to rejoice and remember . This is the day the Lord has made!
Br. Andreas, hermano, a most cordial welcome as permanent member of the missionary Province of Our Lady of the Rosary. Joyful congratulations!
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