Native St. Louisan Brother Ambrose Slama among men and women who profess vows with religious communities
While attending graduate school during the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Slama learned how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. It ended up being a providential moment in his discernment of a religious vocation.
Slama, a St. Louis native who attended the former St. Dominic Savio School in Affton and St. Louis University High School, already had been discerning during his undergraduate years. While attending The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., for graduate studies, he got to know several religious communities. By the fall of 2020, his online research led him to the Dominicans.
He discovered the Dominican charism included contemplative and communal prayer. Everything seemed to click. “The study and the prayer and the communal life, they’re not all just these separate things that we do,” he said. “It all feeds into this whole idea which is to foster our preaching,” which in a broader sense means spreading the Gospel.
After a year in the novitiate, he and six other men professed their first vows (called simple vows) on Aug. 3 in Denver with the Province of St. Albert the Great. He received the habit and took the name Brother Ambrose. The following week, the men moved to St. Louis to begin their studies at Aquinas Institute of Theology and reside in community at St. Dominic Priory.
Dominicans are taught that preaching infuses their entire lives — everything from prayer and Mass to the simple chores that they perform in their community. “It all assures that we can live harmoniously in the house together, as our rule says,” he said. “Living harmoniously our whole life is meant to enable our ministry of the Word.”
The harmonious living drew him further into the Dominican way of life. During an initial visit, “what really struck me was just the joy of the community, seeing all these brothers being together,” he said. “They’re just like normal guys, but doing this extraordinary thing, and doing it with so much joy.”
Brother Ambrose Slama, OP, left, and Brother David Hardy, OP, of Fargo, North Dakota, ate breakfast with other Dominicans on Sept. 3 at St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis. Brother Ambrose professed first vows with the Dominicans on Aug. 3.
Brother Ambrose Slama, OP, received the Blood of Christ from Father Vincent Davila, OP, during Mass on Sept. 3 at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.
Brother Ambrose was among several men and women with ties to St. Louis who professed vows with various religious communities during August and September. They include:
Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
Brother Ambrose Slama professed first vows with the Dominican Friars, Province of St. Albert the Great, on Aug. 3 in Denver. The former Joe Slama of Seven Holy Founders Parish in Affton attended St. Dominic Savio School, St. Louis University High School, Truman State University and The Catholic University of America before entering the community. He also was a summer intern at the St. Louis Review. Brother Ambrose has returned to St. Louis to begin his studies at Aquinas Institute of Theology.
Community of the Beatitudes
Brother Steven Heine, cb, professed his first vows with the Community of the Beatitudes in Thy-le-Château, Belgium, Sept. 1. Brother Steven is from Good Shepherd Parish in Hillsboro and attended Hillsboro High School, Southeast Missouri State University and Jefferson College before entering the community. He then moved to Toulouse, France, to begin studying philosophy and theology and participate in the community’s various missions, including youth apostolates. He is the only member of the community with connections to Missouri and one of only seven Americans.
Norbertine Fathers
Frater Enoch Martin McCann, O. Praem., professed first vows on Aug. 28 with the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California. The former Martin McCann of Ascension Parish in Chesterfield attended homeschool and Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, before entering the community.
Religious Sisters of Mercy
Sister Maria Ancilla Gabrial, RSM, professed first vows with the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, on Aug. 15. Sister Maria Ancilla is currently missioned in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and began nursing studies at Saint Louis University.
Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco
Sister Anne Marguerite Weis, FMA, renewed her vows on Aug. 4 with the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in Haledon, New Jersey. The former Anne Weis of St. Ferdinand Parish in Florissant attended Rosati-Kain High School and Truman State University before entering the community. She currently teaches biology at the Academy of Our Lady, an all-girls Catholic high school in Marrero, Louisiana.
Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word (Houston)
Sisters Noella Alice K.Nshobole, My-Ngoc Nguyen, Maruca Ramizez Lopez and Minh Tran.
Sisters Noella Alice K.Nshobole, My-Ngoc Nguyen, Maruca Ramizez Lopez and Minh Tran, CCVI, made their first profession of vows Aug. 3 with the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word at the congregation’s motherhouse, Villa de Matel in Houston. The four lived and ministered in St. Louis during their years of formation at the congregation’s international novitiate.
Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George
Sister Mary Joseph Kneemiller, FSGM, made her final profession with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, Illinois, on Aug. 3. The former Catie Kneemiller of St. Cletus Parish in St. Charles attended Duchesne High School. Sister Mary Joseph has been teaching since August 2018 and was transferred in August to teach at Jordan Elementary School in Rock Island, Illinois.
Discerning a vocation?
The archdiocesan Office of Vocations hosts monthly meetings for young men in high school who are discerning a vocation. Each meeting features a guest priest speaker and will focus on a particular area of formation. The next Come and See retreat for high schoolers will take place Nov. 15-17 at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. To register, visit www.stlvocations.org/retreat.
Love’s Reply is a discernment group for Catholic women, ages 18-30, in discovering God’s plan of love for your life. For more information and to register, email lovesreplystl@gmail.com. The program is free, but pre-registration is required.
To learn about other upcoming Vocations Office events, visit www.stlvocations.org/vocation-office-events. To learn more about upcoming religious life discernment events, see www.stlvocations.org/religious-life-discernment-events. Or contact Father Tony Ritter, vocations director, at anthonyritter@archstl.org.
