VALENCIA, Negros Oriental, April 30, 2026— In a gathering marked by gratitude, prayer, and fraternity, Fr. Joel Alve, OAR, Fr. Ernel Almayo, OAR, Fr. Randy Castillo, OAR, and Fr. Charlie Orobia, OAR came together in Valencia to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of their Simple Profession as Augustinian Recollect religious. Coming from their respective communities in Cebu, Talisay, and Bacolod, the four priests reunited to thank God for more than three decades of religious life, ministry, and brotherhood. The celebration began with the Holy Mass at Caidiocan Chapel. Fr. Charlie Orobia, OAR, was the main celebrant, while Fr. Joel Alve, OAR, delivered the homily. During the Mass, the priests also renewed their religious vows at the altar, a solemn and meaningful moment that recalled their first profession 33 years earlier.
In his homily, Fr. Alve reflected on the beauty and challenge of religious life, reminding everyone that vocation is not measured by worldly success, but by humble and faithful service. Drawing from the Gospel, he said that religious life is “not a career path upward, but a journey downward, into humility, into service, into hiddenness.” He also spoke of the daily sacrifices that have shaped their journey through the years. For 33 years, he said, they had been given “countless basins and towels” in the communities they served, in the people entrusted to them, in hidden sacrifices, and in the daily demands of fraternity. These, he shared, are the ordinary but sacred ways by which religious life is lived. Fr. Alve further reminded his brother priests that the call to the consecrated life is not only to remember their original generosity, but also to renew it. “The Lord does not ask us to begin again from zero, but to begin again from love,” he said, inviting them to continue their vocation with deeper humility, perseverance, and joy.
A touching point in his reflection was the meaning of the number 33, which also recalls the earthly life of Christ. For Fr. Alve, this anniversary was not simply about counting the years, but about asking a deeper question: not how long they have lived their vocation, but how they have loved in the course of those years. Following the Eucharistic celebration, the priests shared a simple lunch and a bonding celebration, a joyful moment of reunion filled with gratitude, memories, and fraternity. Though assigned to different communities and ministries, their coming together in Valencia reflected the enduring bond they share as Augustinian Recollects. Their 33rd anniversary of the Simple Profession became more than a personal milestone. It was a witness to God’s sustaining grace and a celebration of a vocation lived in fidelity through the years. As they marked this important occasion, the four priests were reminded once more of the heart of their calling: to serve humbly, to love generously, and to remain faithful to the Lord who first called them. (News by Fr. Albert Pellazar, OAR)
