By Voice staff

Six Dominican Brothers took their solemn (final) vows on June 1 at St. Dominic Church in San Francisco. Dominican Father Emmerich Vogt, provincial of the Western Dominican Province headquartered in Oakland, received their vows. They will be ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Allen Vigneron on Jan. 31 in the new Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland.

They are:

Brother Michael Augustine Amabisco, 42, of Santa Ana. He became a Catholic while in college. Prior to entering the Dominican Order in 2002, he worked as a geologist and environment consultant.

Brother John Marie Bingham, 31, of Augusta, Georgia. He became a Catholic when his father, an Episcopal priest, and the rest of his family converted to Catholicism. He will spend his deacon year studying with the Dominicans in Fribourg, Switzerland.

Brother Christopher Fadok, 40, of Phoenix, Arizona. He met the Dominicans while studying at the University of Arizona. He was a computer programmer before entering the order. He will be studying with the Dominicans in Vienna, Austria.

Dominican Brother Stephen Maria Lopez kneels before Father Emmerich Vogt and he professes his solemn vows, June 1, at St. Dominic Church in San Francisco. Father Vogt is provincial of the Western Dominican Province. MICHELLE CARDENAS PHOTO

Brother Lupe Gonzalez of Pueblo, Colorado. He is an electrical engineer and a former Major in the U.S. Army. He met the Dominicans while assigned to the Bay Area. He will be studying with the Dominicans in Mexico City.

Brother Stephen Maria Lopez, 36, of San Diego. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, he was an accountant before joining the Dominicans. He has been a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity and spent last year serving in Mexicali, Mexico.

Brother Isaiah Mary Molano, 29, of Riverside. He met the Dominicans while working on a degree in creative writing and was active with his college campus ministry. This year he will study with the Dominicans in Washington, D.C.

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