Alejandro de la Garza Gossler was studying his master’s degree in Boston. He was 25 years old and after a confession, the priest surprised him with a question that shook his soul: Have you ever thought about becoming a priest?
Father Alejandro recalled that moment of confession as the trigger to seriously consider the option of a priestly life.
Similar to the journey he took to go to university, Father Alejandro shares how his path has been up to this point in his life.
The stations at Club Faro, the youth section, and his time as Collaborator of Regnum Christi in Colombia led Father Alejandro to personally encounter Jesus Christ and to open his soul to the call to serve Him as a consecrated minister.
“I was going through an important stage in my life, a moment of making decisions. It was difficult, I had an uneasiness and I didn’t know what it was. When I finished the confession and the Father asked me if I had thought about being a priest, I finally could put a name to that uneasiness.”
When he graduated with his master’s degree, he told his parents about his intention to become a priest. He says it was hard for them to accept, but today they see it as a gift for the whole family. At every moment, he has had unconditional support on this journey that, in one way or another, he shares with his vocation.
The Hand of God and the Support of His Brothers
At 25 years old, changing the plans he had and leaving the world he was used to, it was complicated to begin his priestly formation. He had to make an act of trust and surrender because he did not have all the certainties he would have liked.
He likes to remember the hand of God that sustains him and guides him gently and securely. He has never felt alone and joyfully shares that he has always had the support and friendship of his Legionary brothers, whom he gratefully considers as a Gift from God.
The Priest He Wants to Be
When asked, how would he like to be as a priest? His immediate answer is: “I want to be like Jesus”. He deeply desires to answer Pope Francis’ call to be close, to exercise “the apostolate of the ear,” willing to be an instrument of mercy; a priest who gives the most valuable thing, which is the Eucharist.
He looks up to Saint Raphael Arnaiz, a Trappist monk canonized in 2009, the same year he entered the Legion of Christ. Saint Alberto Hurtado, a Jesuit priest who was a lawyer like Father Alejandro and who worked with youth in Chile. And finally, he mentions Saint Joseph, who has been present in this last stage towards his ordination.
To a Higher Ground
One of the “worldly” songs that motivate him is Higher Ground by Martin Garrix.
It speaks of the deep desire to reach the top, to feel alive, to leave behind the falsehood of ordinary life and reach a greater destination; to transcend and find true happiness on the highest field accompanied by a person. For Father Alejandro, that person is Christ.
He also mentions the song Fix You by Coldplay, as part of this journey in which the Lord has been transforming him.
Do You Love Me More Than These?
The moment arrived to receive the priestly ordination from Mons. César Garza Miranda, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Monterrey.
Surrounded by the love of his family, friends, Legionary brothers, Consecrated Women, and lay members of Regnum Christi from San Pedro.
“This is a moment of grace.”
This is how the Auxiliary Bishop of Monterrey described it when addressing the attendees. As a gift from God to be able to participate in the celebration of the consecration of a man who has said yes with love to the call of Christ.
He invited all attendees to thank the Lord and to support the vocation of the young priest through their prayers.
The Journey Continues
Father Alejandro de la Garza, L.C., may seem to have reached the final destination of his journey, but in reality, it is only a station where he changes trains to continue his path towards eternity.
It seems that that confession in Boston still propels him on his journey, with the difference that now he will have the power to administer the sacrament of confession to others, to be a minister of God’s mercy, the same mercy that he experienced and that changed his life.
Father Alejandro de la Garza, LC was born on December 2, 1983, in Monterrey, Mexico. On September 15, 2009, he entered the Monterrey Novitiate. He studied philosophy and theology in Rome, and from 2015 to 2017, he was director of the youth section in the CDMX south area. Currently, he is a member of the auxiliary team of the youth section in San Pedro.
