The Father César Pérez Luzardo, from Barquisimeto, who is currently working in vocational pastoral in Bogotá, was ordained a priest on March 19 in Venezuela. The ceremony, presided over by Monsignor Luis Enrique Rojas, auxiliary bishop of Mérida, took place at the cathedral of this city and could be watched live through the Mérida Archdiocese’s YouTube channel.

In this interview given to the communication office of Regnum Christi for the Colombia-Venezuela territory, Father César talks to us about his vocation, the role that his family and the various vocations of Regnum Christi have played in this journey, and what it means for him to be a Legionary of Christ priest.

Father César Pérez Luzardo, LC was born on November 9, 1987, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Son of medical parents, he is the second of three brothers. He graduated as a Telecommunications Engineer weeks before entering the novitiate in Germany. He completed his humanities studies in Salamanca (Spain), philosophy studies in Rome, his apostolic practices as a novice assistant in Venezuela, and theological studies in Rome. He is currently carrying out his mission as a vocations promoter in Colombia.

At what moment did you discover that the Lord was asking you to be a Legionary of Christ priest?

A priest, when as a child I saw the outstretched hand of the Heart of Jesus towards me and I saw it again and again during the Eucharist. An outstretched hand and the other in His Heart has been for me the cover of His invitation to follow Him. Legionary of Christ, many years later, after the sudden death of my brother at 23 – who was a member of Regnum Christi – I decided to take his place as a missionary during Holy Week. There I was able to understand the place to which that invitation to follow Him was calling me.

Father César, what has your family meant in this vocational path?

I am the second of three sons. My parents are doctors with a great spirit of service: dad, internist; mom, gynecologist-obstetrician. Although their busy occupations kept them distant from a practicing faith life, they transmitted to us a true wisdom of life, born from their frequent contact with human pain, and therefore, they indirectly spoke to us about God through their lives. I have a wonderful family because of their great sense of humor and expressions of affection.

When I felt the vocation, my greatest difficulty and the cause of more doubts and suffering was the question: “How can I leave and abandon my family?” And when I made the decision to follow the Lord, I couldn’t understand how I had the strength to leave home if my older brother had just recently passed away; but the truth is that I had it. It is precisely in that space of my heart, of my concern for my family, where I have experienced the certainty of God’s action. He has been faithful to that command “take care of the things of God, and God will take care of your family.” He has protected them beyond what I could have done with my presence, not only externally but especially in the inner environment. Last December, I was able to share Christmas holidays with them, with almost 30 family members. And after performing the baptism of a cousin’s daughter as a deacon, I looked at Christ on the altar and imagined that at that very moment – when I was undeservedly being an instrument of grace for all of them – the Lord, with a mischievous look, told me: “This is what I told you, that I would take care of your family.” There, I have been able to say so many times: “It’s the Lord.”

What does it mean to be a Legionary of Christ priest?

It means, first, entering into the mystery of God’s will for me, because I never thought about it with premeditation, and unlike my life projects, this choice came entirely out of my schemes: I never heard of the Legionaries in news, advertising, or on the internet. I even remember, when I began to express my concern about the vocation to a priest I knew, that neither he nor I ever mentioned the Legion of Christ. Looking back now, I think that being a Legionary priest is primarily this: the fruit of a divine call and initiative that this Congregation thought for me. Later, as I got to know it more deeply, in concrete life and prayer, it has been for me a sign of God’s mercy over what is broken in the world.

I entered the congregation precisely during its renewal years, and I experienced firsthand being in a family with a broken past. The fact that the Church has kept us standing has also meant for me a specific way of living priesthood through accepting a painful history, trusting in God’s mercy, deep healing of man, especially those who are farthest away; a radical rejection of all anti-evangelical triumphalism; and a great love for the entire ecclesial reality.

What fascinates you about the vocation to which the Lord has called you?

Friendship with Christ and all the fruits that come from it: the great spaces to live it fully every day, the spontaneity and beauty of relationships among those who are friends of the same Christ, the creativity to bring others the riches of this friendship, always being guided by Him beyond.

Father César, what role has your community played in your vocation?

The community has been for me the first gift from God in my religious life: concrete brothers to love, learn from, an entire existential university of asking for forgiveness and forgiving, of realism in love, of deep friendship. I think of so many brothers who have been instruments of God to support me in dark moments. Also here is the setting for many joyful and funny stories of life with Christ.

What is the role of members of other vocations within RC in your vocation?

I was a member of RC before entering the Legion. I still remember when, afraid, I told my team about my desire to go to the candidacy. After my brief and trembling phrase, everyone spontaneously gave a big applause. And from that same team, months later, several were collaborators in different countries. They have truly been my family, a display of divine creativity that Regnum Christi invented. I received many letters from them during my novitiate, expressions of encouragement; and I have also asked them for much advice and help.

Father César, what has been the most special moment in your vocation story?

The day I left my house without knowing where I was going, or what it would be like, or what awaited me. It has been one of the most intense experiences of my life, and the safe harbor, when I experience again in various ways that the Lord has great things planned for those who trust in Him.