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Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P.
Born in 1968 in Arizona, Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P., grew up in Colorado as the youngest of nine children in a family that has since grown to include 27 nieces and nephews. Before entering the Order of Preachers, he studied at Colorado State University and Conception Seminary College for the Archdiocese of Denver. He obtained a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Providence College while discerning a vocation to religious life. He entered the novitiate of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph in 1992, and was ordained a priest in 1998. Fr. Benedict was assigned first to St. Gertrude Church and Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio as associate pastor for four years. In 2002 he was assigned to the Province's Vicariate of Eastern Africa, serving in Kenya for five years. He had the responsibility of being Novice Master in the Vicariate for novices from seven African countries. Returning from the missions, he ministered briefly at the University Church of St. Joseph at New York University before continuing studies in Rome. In June 2010 he completed the License in Sacred Theology (Spiritual Theology) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) where he also served as a chaplain for two years. In 2010 he was appointed Director of Vocations for the Province of St. Joseph.
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Robert Sica (22 years old)
Meet the New Novices
Posted by Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P. on July 13, 2010
Robert Sica
My name is Robert Sica. I was born on May the 28th, 1988. My father and mother, Tom and Eveyln, raised me with my sister Elizabeth on Long Island in New York.
My parents sent me to Catholic school my entire life. Despite being raised in the practice of the faith and in Catholic school, I went through a period of doubt in high school. In this way God graciously permitted me to take a closer and more mature look at Catholicism. When I investigated Catholicism I found in it a marvelous intelligibility and a deep attractiveness. The Lord also gave to me a deep devotion to the Eucharist. Thus for the first time I also conceived a mature attraction to the priesthood: a love for the hands by which Jesus feeds the Eucharist to the Church.
I became a student at Providence College in Providence, RI. Here I met the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph. I instantly fell in love with the Dominican charism. The dedication of the Dominican Friars to Truth struck a chord which already resonated deep within my heart. They also showed the deep joy and peace which Jesus Christ gives to those who follow Him-concrete proof that Jesus Christ can fulfill the deepest longing of the mind and the heart. As I matured in my practice of the faith I found that this was true as well. My heart's desire for happiness could only be met in the person of Jesus Christ.
My study of philosophy, my immersion in Catholicism and my encounter with Jesus Christ have prompted a desire to share with others the deep riches which I have received. My hope is that the Lord will fulfill this desire in me as a Dominican Friar.
My parents sent me to Catholic school my entire life. Despite being raised in the practice of the faith and in Catholic school, I went through a period of doubt in high school. In this way God graciously permitted me to take a closer and more mature look at Catholicism. When I investigated Catholicism I found in it a marvelous intelligibility and a deep attractiveness. The Lord also gave to me a deep devotion to the Eucharist. Thus for the first time I also conceived a mature attraction to the priesthood: a love for the hands by which Jesus feeds the Eucharist to the Church.
I became a student at Providence College in Providence, RI. Here I met the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph. I instantly fell in love with the Dominican charism. The dedication of the Dominican Friars to Truth struck a chord which already resonated deep within my heart. They also showed the deep joy and peace which Jesus Christ gives to those who follow Him-concrete proof that Jesus Christ can fulfill the deepest longing of the mind and the heart. As I matured in my practice of the faith I found that this was true as well. My heart's desire for happiness could only be met in the person of Jesus Christ.
My study of philosophy, my immersion in Catholicism and my encounter with Jesus Christ have prompted a desire to share with others the deep riches which I have received. My hope is that the Lord will fulfill this desire in me as a Dominican Friar.