Br. Felix Mencias, OSB Makes Solemn Profession
On July 11, 2024, Brother Félix Martín Mencias Babian, OSB, professed his solemn vows during the liturgy celebrating the Feast of Saint Benedict. Abbot Douglas Mullin, OSB, presided over the celebration, which took place in the abbey church of Saint John the Baptist in Collegeville, MN.
Brother Felix was born in a small town very close to the Citlaltépetl Volcano or Pico de Orizaba in Veracruz, Mexico, where he spent the first 19 years of his life. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and has completed two years of study toward a master’s degree in the same discipline. After making first vows at Saint John’s Abbey on September 14, 2020, Brother Felix has been studying graduate theology classes as well as teaching In at the Emmaus Institute, a four-year intellectual and ministerial formation program for lay leadership ministry and potential Latino/Hispanic diaconal candidates in the Diocese of Saint Cloud. He is also a collaborator at Casa San Benito de SJA, providing training programs for leaders and coordinators of Latin communities. Brother Felix also serves on the abbey communications and vocations committees.
When asked what attracted him to the Benedictine life and Saint John’s Abbey, Brother Felix responded, “Saint John’s Abbey is a community that I consider a place where I can put into service everything I have learned over the years, seeking to do God’s will. It offers me many opportunities to serve the Church, carry out my vocation, and fulfill myself as a person.”