Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this message finds you well and filled with joy. I am writing to share with you some of the fruits of the past year and to express my heartfelt gratitude for your steadfast support and prayers.

With the grace of God, I completed a profoundly enriching year of spirituality, which was a time of deep reflection, growth, and preparation for my vocation. I had the privilege to immerse myself fully in prayer, study, and formation, deepening my relationship with Christ and my understanding of the priestly vocation. The culmination of which was the reception of the cassock and tonsure. The latter being my consecration to God and adoption into the clerical family. With the cassock being the visible sign of that same consecration. I especially thank you all who generously responded to my appeal for my new cassock and other clerical attire. These material concerns, far from being the most important aspect of my formation, are nevertheless a necessity. But I count your donations as God's fatherly provision for my needs.

As I continue this journey, I ask again for your continued prayers. I am deeply grateful for your help in this sacred endeavor and look forward to keeping you updated on the progress of my formation. Thank you once again for your unwavering support. May God bless you abundantly for your kindness and generosity.

In Christo Rege,

Abbé Joseph Gibson

Dear Friends and Family,

As we rejoice in the Easter season, your generous support is at the forefront of my thoughts on the blessings given to me in my formation. Your generosity and prayers have been a great consolation, and I am deeply grateful for your continued encouragement. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to each one of you for your continued support of my vocation.

On this past Passion Sunday, all us in the year of spirituality had our measurements taken by the ecclesiastical tailor who makes our first cassocks every year. On Easter Sunday I was told by the prefect of the first years that, God willing, I will receive the cassock and tonsure after the end-of-year retreat at the end of June. This is a major step towards my consecration to the service of God, and I thank Him to have brought me this far with your assistance.

Clerical clothing is one of the expenses that necessarily comes with seminary, and to pay for two cassocks, two faschias, a surplice, biretta, and collar will total almost $1000. If only two dozen people made a one-time donation of $40, this would cover all these expenses. Therefore, I ask all who read this to please consider a one-time donation of $40, and to share this post.

Once again, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your support and prayers. 

In Christo Rege,

Joseph

Dear Friends and Family,

With February behind us, so too have I passed the halfway point of the roughly ten and a half months of my candidacy, which ends with the month of July. It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly six months already! In the coming months, we’ll be tested on our French competency that will determine whether it is sufficient for our studies at Gricigliano, or whether we must continue for yet another year, in Germany. Later we will also begin the application process, which itself is entirely in French.

I cannot thank enough you all who have supported me by your continued prayers and contributions to my tuition. You remain indispensable to my vocation discernment, and I pray for you all every day.

Joseph