New Laborers for God’s Harvest

The summer season has passed by quickly and now its time for a recap of all the blessings God has blessed our community during the past few (hot!) months. The seminarians here in St. Michael’s House of Formation in Ramsey were busy serving where they were needed: Br. Gio went to Immaculate Conception Parish in Goosecreek, SC, Br. Noly to St. Joseph Parish in Lodi, while Ryan, after a few days home in Lodi, stayed in Ramsey to take care of the seminary. The priests also took advantage of the time to preach mission appeals for the support of our missions.

As everyone kept busy, all were anticipating something special; not a new flat screen TV, car or even a puppy, but two new seminarians and future laborers for God’s harvest coming from thousands of miles away!

For anyone to go to other country for the work of God is indeed a challenge on many levels as they face a new culture, language and society. For one to be able to do such requires conviction and complete trust in God’s will. Our new laborers for God’s harvest came more than 7,000 miles away. Leaving the Philippines must have been a great challenge for these two young men who have walked together in their journey of answering God’s call since their mother’s womb. They are brothers in more than one sense of the word. First they are professed religious brothers belonging to the Order of the Clerics Regular Minor (Adorno Fathers) and second they are biological brothers, and if that wasn’t enough of a surprise for some, they are twin brothers!

Brs. Arnel and Arman Hagos are the “Twins” as we like to call them, who, after five years of seminary formation and their novitiate in 2007, professed their the simple vows on June 4, 2008. Two months after which, they were sent to work for God’s harvest on the other side of the world. They came to the United Sates on August 13, 2008, to join the community of Ramsey as they pursue their Theological Studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University.

As Mother Nature changes the colors of her trees during the fall season as she prepares for the coming of winter, our community here in Ramsey has also been blessed with this most welcomed change of the addition of two new members. May they persevere in their vocation and let us all do our part by including them and all seminarians in our daily prayers. Let us also pray that more and more young men and women may feel and follow the stirrings of the Sprit in their lives and choose a life of service, always For the Greater Glory of the Risen Christ, for the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.