The past Saturday, June 12th, four Legionaries of Christ were ordained priests at the Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral of Medellín. The celebration was presided over by Mons. Ricardo Tobón Restrepo, archbishop of the city, and was concelebrated by five bishops and 25 priests. About 500 people attended the ceremony, including family members, friends, and members of the Regnum Christi.

The new priests are: Jorge Herrera, from Mexico, current director of the youth section of Regnum Christi in Medellín; and the Colombians Camilo Palacio, from Medellín, who works as a vocations promoter in Mexico; Carlos Blandón, from Pereira, trainer at the minor seminary of Mérida; and Óscar Vidal Ramírez, director of the youth section of Puebla and chaplain of the Preparatoria Anáhuac in that city. The first three come from minor seminaries of the Legion of Christ in Mexico and Colombia, and Fr. Óscar Ramírez was Lay Consecrated of Regnum Christi for eight years.

In his homily, Mons. Ricardo Tobón made a call to the newly ordained priests to open themselves to this mystery filled with joy and hope, and he indicated: “The deepest reality is not evil and the trials of life that sometimes oppress us. The ultimate reality is God’s plan, which is irrevocable, and in which you now assume a particular mission that will lead you to be bold in evangelizing a society that urgently needs God, that will lead you to love and serve the Church, which is much more than the weaknesses we sometimes see, to truly give — to give your life for all, especially for the poorest, the most in need, the most disadvantaged.”

He also pointed out: “You are a gift from God to the Church, which is experiencing a moment of purification and an urgent call — as Pope Francis insists — to go out, to go out to give everyone meaning, strength, love, hope.”

Alongside Mons. Ricardo Tobón Restrepo, concelebrated bishops José Antonio Fernández Hurtado, Archbishop of Tlalnepantla, State of Mexico; Faustino Armendáriz Jiménez, Archbishop of Durango; Juan María Huerta Muro, Bishop of the Prelature of El Salto, Durango; and Gustavo Girón Higuita, Bishop Emeritus of Tumaco. Also concelebrating the Eucharist were the territorial directors of the Legionaries of Christ from Colombia-Venezuela, P. Carlos Gutiérrez, LC, and from Mexico, P. Alberto Simán, LC, the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Durango, Hector Frías Ramírez, and other 25 priests.

P. Jorge de Jesús Herrera, LC

Born in Durango, Mexico, on June 10, 1990. His name, Jesús, comes from being consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from the day of his birth. He is the second of seven children, the first son. He learned about Regnum Christi through his cousins, and when the Legionaries arrived in his city, he was one of the founders of the Instituto Cumbres Durango, where his desire to dedicate himself to God in this religious and priestly lifestyle was born. He studied high school at the minor seminary in Monterrey. He then went to Spain, where he continued his studies for seven years, including high school, novitiate, and humanistic studies. Later, he studied philosophy in the United States and in Rome. He carried out his apostolic practices at the minor seminary of Rionegro, where he was a formator for three years. He completed his theology studies in Rome. For the past year, he has been working in the territory as a Formation Instructor at the Cumbres Medellín School and as director of the youth section of this city. You can see in that link an interview with Fr. Jorge Herrera, LC on the occasion of his diaconal ordination.

P. Camilo Palacio, LC

Born in Medellín, in 1989, into a deeply Catholic and united family. He has three brothers, all males. He began his vocational process at age twelve in the ECYD. He studied secondary education at the Vocational Center of Colombia, and upon completing it, he entered the Novitiate. He completed his humanistic studies in Spain and philosophy in Rome at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He carried out his apostolic practices as a trainer of minor seminarians in Colombia and Venezuela, and his theology studies in Rome, where he made his perpetual profession on February 6, 2018. He currently supports his pastoral mission by helping in the formation of Legionary religious in Colombia and, as soon as possible, hopes to move to Venezuela to continue his mission as a trainer at the minor seminary of the Legion of Christ in Mérida. You can see in that link an interview with Fr. Carlos Blandón, LC on the occasion of his diaconal ordination.

P. Carlos Eduardo Blandón, LC

Born in Pereira on October 30, 1989, into a very close family. He is the youngest of three children. He studied at a Salesian school. At an early age, he met the Legion of Christ, ECYD, and Regnum Christi. At 14, he joined the Apostolic of Colombia, where he began a path of vocational discernment. He did his novitiate in this same country, his humanistic studies in Salamanca, Spain, and philosophy at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. He carried out his apostolic practices as a trainer of minor seminarians in Colombia and Venezuela, and his theology studies in Rome, where he made his perpetual profession on February 6, 2018. He currently supports his pastoral mission by helping in the formation of Legionary religious in Colombia and, as soon as possible, hopes to move to Venezuela to continue his mission as a trainer at the minor seminary of the Legion of Christ in Mérida. You can see in that link an interview with Fr. Óscar Ramírez, LC on the occasion of his diaconal ordination.