Priestly Ordinations
2026

My vocational calling began at a very young age, when I met a Legionary priest at eight years old. His character deeply impacted me, and for the first time, I imagined myself with such a vocation.

From that moment on, I began to envision myself as a Legionary and as a priest. Although my spiritual life wasn’t particularly intense at that time, something within me had awakened. Little by little, I drew closer to the Legion through its activities. The retreats organized by ECYD marked an important step in this process.

Later, when my younger brother was invited to participate in an introductory course for seminary, I decided to accompany him. That summer, I experienced a true sense of belonging to a group that shared human and spiritual interests. During high school, a group solidified, with a healthy, joyful, and deeply united atmosphere.

This experience of communion was decisive in my decision to enter the seminary. More than anything else, I was drawn to the strength of that bond, the sense of belonging, and the joy of walking together. An environment was created in which my vocation grew and matured.

After finishing high school, I decided to enter the novitiate with the sincere desire to find greater clarity and certainty. The novitiate was a time to question the decisions I had made in my life, which helped me gain greater clarity on my vocational path. Later, in my humanities studies and in subsequent stages, it was a constant learning and growth in God and alongside my brothers.

Over the years, I rediscovered the treasure of Regnum Christi, especially during my apostolic internships and in Rome.

Looking back, I clearly recognize the path God has laid out for me and, at the same time, I see how the Holy Spirit has accompanied, cared for, and guided me with great love. I now wish to continue this path, always hand in hand with the Virgin Mary, and, God willing, to become a holy priest.

Father Dener Pereira Oliveira was born on November 12, 1994, in Salto, São Paulo, into a Catholic family. His parents instilled the faith in him from a young age, and thanks to his family’s close ties to the parish and the parish priest, he found in him an example that awakened in his heart the desire to become a priest from childhood. Later, he learned about the Legionaries of Christ through a teacher at his school; upon visiting the Vocational Center, he was deeply moved to see young men his own age joyfully living their vocation, and from then on, he felt the longing to join. Although he wanted to enter the Legionaries of Christ at age 12, by God’s design he entered a few years later, at age 16.

He entered the Vocational Center of the Legionaries of Christ in Arujá (SP) on January 2, 2011. Between 2013 and 2015, he completed his novitiate, where he professed his first vows on August 16, 2015. Afterward, he was sent to Monterrey, Mexico, to study classical humanities and later continued his formation in Rome, where he studied philosophy between 2016 and 2019.

Following this period, he carried out his apostolic mission in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, working in schools and ECYD clubs, and then served as a formator for two years at the Vocational Center in Monterrey. In 2022, he returned to Rome to begin his theological studies, and on June 23, 2024, he made his perpetual profession. Upon completing his academic stage in 2025, he was assigned again to Monterrey as a trainer at the Vocational Center.

I was born on May 15, 1986, in Maracaibo, Venezuela, into a Catholic family where I received the first seeds of faith. I studied at a Claretian school, and although God was a part of my life, for a long time He remained more in the background, like part of the scenery. Over the years, that faith weakened until my father’s death from cancer marked a turning point in my life. His passing confronted me with the deepest questions about the meaning of life, suffering, and death. In the midst of that pain, some words from the priest during the wake—about the possibility of offering the Eucharist for his salvation—touched my heart and awakened in me an unexpected desire: to start going to Mass every day.

Little by little, almost without realizing it, God began to transform me. I felt a deep desire to receive Holy Communion again, which led me to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation once more. When I received the Eucharist, I experienced what I call my “second First Communion”: for the first time, I clearly understood that the One I was receiving was truly God. The God I had previously felt distant began to draw near. Along this path, an invitation to a Eucharistic Adoration of Regnum Christi opened me to an atmosphere of silence, prayer, and spiritual family that helped me to continue deepening my relationship with Christ.

Some time later, during a trip to the novitiate to participate in the three-day renewal of promises, I clearly experienced God’s call to the Legion of Christ. During a night of adoration, while praying in the early morning, a serene certainty was born deep within my heart: this was the place where I could love God as He wanted to be loved. In time, I also came to understand the meaning of the title of this story: “the boy in the back pew.” Many people prayed for me without knowing me, offering sacrifices and supporting me spiritually from behind the scenes. Today, with deep gratitude, I can say that I am happy because God found me, called me, and gives me the grace each day to continue walking with Him towards heaven.

I am the eldest of five children in the Bringas Iturrioz family. From a very young age, I felt God calling me to the priesthood to bring more people closer to Him through the sacraments. During my childhood and adolescence, I was involved with the ECyD (Evangelical Christian and Development) program and participated in Holy Week missions, where I learned to love Christ and to do apostolic work with my friends. At 14, I entered the Vocational Center in Mexico City to complete my final year of middle school and my high school studies. From 2012 to 2014, I completed my novitiate in Germany and professed my first vows, giving my initial and definitive “yes” to God as a Legionary of Christ. I studied humanities in Monterrey and then went to Rome to study philosophy. In 2019, I was assigned to assist in the formation of young people with the ECyD program and at the Cumbres San Javier Institute in Guadalajara. The next three years I studied theology in Rome and it was a time marked by intense preparation for the diaconal ministry that I now exercise as director of ECyD and chaplain of the same school where I did my internship.

I was born on September 16, 1996, in Mérida, Venezuela, and grew up in a small Andean town called Canaguá, in a close-knit family that instilled in me strong human and Christian values. From childhood, I had a natural inclination to serve others, and the Lord provided for me to shape this inclination. Around the age of nine, I began serving as an altar boy in my parish, an experience that allowed me to become intimately familiar with the priestly life.

In 2009, priests from the Legionaries of Christ visited my high school to present the minor seminary—or vocational center—and speak about the mission of “saving souls.” Those words left a deep impression on me. I participated in a vocational retreat and, with the generous support of my parents, began this journey of seeking God’s will for my life. In 2013, I took another step by beginning the novitiate, a stage that helped me mature in my spiritual life and in my vocational discernment. In 2015, I had the grace of making my first religious vows.

My formation continued with studies in the humanities in Mexico and in philosophy and theology in Rome, as well as years of apostolic mission in Venezuela. On August 25, 2024, I professed my perpetual vows, definitively surrendering my life to the Lord, and on September 20, 2025, I received diaconal ordination, a grace that reminds me that vocation is a gift received to serve others and that we do not reach our goal alone. Along this path, I have also experienced moments of trial, such as the death of my father, a painful experience that the Lord transformed into a profound inner grace. Today I recognize my vocation as a response of love to God, which is expressed in the words of Saint Peter: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (cf. Jn 21:17), and in the desire to continue responding each day to his call like Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (cf. 1 Sam 3:10).

Father Jose Torres, L.C., is originally from San Juan, Argentina, and is the youngest of five siblings. He grew up in a humble family environment where he learned the value of faith, work, and closeness to others. During his youth, he studied Educational Psychology at the Catholic University of Cuyo, a period in which he increasingly recognized God’s call to total dedication to the service of the Church.

In 2015, he entered the Legion of Christ, beginning his religious formation. He completed his novitiate in Brazil, where he professed his first vows, and was later sent to Rome to study Philosophy. He then returned to Brazil for his apostolic internship, serving as a formator in the novitiate, accompanying young men in their vocational discernment. He subsequently returned to Rome to study Theology, during which time he also made his perpetual profession of the evangelical counsels.

He was ordained a deacon at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in the province of San Juan, Argentina, in a celebration attended by family, friends, and some Legionaries who wished to share in this moment of grace. He currently serves as chaplain at Anáhuac University Mexico, South Campus. God willing, he will be ordained a priest on May 2nd, continuing his path of dedication to the service of Christ and the Church according to the charism of Regnum Christi and the Legion of Christ.

I was born in 1993 in Temuco, Chile, and grew up in a family marked by faith and service. From childhood, I was restless and communicative, participating in school radio, choirs, and community activities. Although I went through a period of disorganized searching during my adolescence, a Capuchin youth retreat in May 2009 changed my life: I rediscovered Jesus as a close friend and began to seriously discern my vocation.

In 2012, while studying Journalism at the University of La Frontera, my friendship with young people from Regnum Christi and the example of a friend who left everything to follow his faith prompted me to make a decision that would change my life: I left university to respond more seriously to God’s call. In 2013, I entered the Legion of Christ, beginning years of formation in Mexico, Spain, and Rome, where I studied Philosophy and Theology, ministered to young people in Mexico City, and experienced historic moments such as the election of Pope Leo XIV.

I was ordained a deacon on August 2, 2025, a date that coincides exactly with the day of my baptism, a sign I experienced as a confirmation of God’s providence in my life. Today I am in Los Angeles collaborating with Guadalupe Radio, accompanying the Latino community, and preparing to be ordained a priest on May 2, 2026, in Rome, a date that also coincides with that retreat that transformed my life. Looking back, I can only repeat what I have been saying to the Lord for years: “This that I am, this I give to you.”