About the Novitiate
THE NOVITIATE
About the Novitiate
THE NOVITIATE
Every August, St. Albert the Great Priory welcomes a new novitiate class - those men considering religious life and priesthood in the Dominican Order. Men wishing to enter the Dominican Order spend their first year of discernment with us. The novitiate year is dedicated to living Dominican life in a focused way. During the novitiate year, the novice comes to a better understanding of vowed Dominican life through:
Experiencing communal and personal prayer
Spending quiet time in reflection and study
Participating in daily Mass
Living community life
Ministering in the local community
Studying Dominican history, our constitutions, the vows, spirituality, etc.
Click the button below to buy books and other items for the novices.
To learn more about becoming a Dominican friar, visit our vocations website at
www.DominicanVocations.com
The Novices
THE NOVICES
The Novices
THE NOVICES
BR. JOSEPH DIOGO PALHANO GONÇALVES
Alma Mater: Free University of Berlin
Hometown: Campo Grande, Brazil
Br. Joseph Diogo was born and raised in Brazil, where he first became acquainted with the Order of Preachers. In 2015, he moved to the United States after completing his studies in political science and public administration. While living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Br. Joseph Diogo discerned a Dominican vocation. The Order's charism and history particularly inspire him. He says, "No other religious order has had as many canonized saints as the Order of Preachers."
BR. LOUIS-MARIE LIM
Alma Mater: Louisiana State University
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Br. Louis-Marie grew up in Denver at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. He studied journalism at Louisiana State University and was heavily involved in Christ the King Catholic Community on the LSU campus. While discerning religious orders, he found that the Dominicans most naturally fit who he is: the Marian dimension, especially the Rosary, the intellectual tradition, and the apostolic zeal for the salvation of souls. He is grateful and honored to Our Lady for inviting him to pursue her Son in the Dominican tradition.
BR. SIMON FERRER VETTIKUNNEL
Alma Mater: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Hometown: Brownsville, Texas
Br. Simon Ferrer was born in Pune, Maharashtra, India, and his parents hail from the state of Kerala in India. He moved to Brownsville, Texas, in 2007 with his mother, father, and younger brother. He studied Information Systems at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). During his junior year of college, he had a strong reversion to his Catholic faith and became active in his campus Newman Center. He was inspired upon hearing the story of Saint Dominic while working in marketing. It was the witness of joy he saw with the Dominican Friars during his discernment that helped him see his calling to the Dominicans.
In his free time, Br. Simon Ferrer enjoys cooking, playing chess, longboarding, playing basketball, and weight lifting.
BR. PAUL MARIE PORTER
Alma Mater: University of Texas at Austin
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Br. Paul Marie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up in the Houston, Texas, area. In 2023, he received a degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. After encountering the Order of Preachers at a retreat staffed by the Dominicans, Br. Paul Marie was inspired by their life of prayer and study. As a Dominican, he desires to grow closer to God and have that friendship be the basis of his preaching and apostolic zeal.
BR. JOHN MARIE BADILLO
Alma Mater: University of Houston - Downtown
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Br. John Marie was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He is the 3rd of 13 children. He briefly attended St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana before finishing his degree at the University of Houston Downtown. He was drawn to the Order by the example of a friar and the joyfulness of the Dominican Sisters at Frassati Catholic High School. Br. John Marie decided to join the Order because of its mission for the salvation of souls, which is ultimately the most important thing.
BR. MATTHIAS DECUIR
Alma Mater: University of Dallas
Hometown: Friendswood, Texas
Br. Matthias grew up in Friendswood, Texas, a small suburb south of Houston. He earned his undergraduate degree in theology at the University of Dallas. He was drawn to the Dominicans by witnessing the joy of the brothers and how they sought after truth through study and prayer.