This past Saturday, May 2nd, was a very special day: the Church welcomed 16 new Legionary of Christ priests. The ceremony took place at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome and was celebrated by Bishop Juan Vicente Córdoba, Bishop of the Diocese of Fontibón in Bogotá, Colombia.
Sixteen Legionaries of Christ, originally from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela, were ordained priests this past Saturday, May 2nd, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome—founded by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century over the tomb of the Apostle Paul. The celebration was accompanied by a choir of seminarians and consecrated women, as well as by Korean flautist Mihi Kim.
The ceremony was presided over by Bishop Juan Vicente Córdoba, S.J., Bishop of the Diocese of Fontibón, located in Bogotá, Colombia. More than 210 Legionaries from around the world attended, along with family, friends, and members of Regnum Christi.
The Eucharistic celebration began promptly at 10:00 a.m. (Rome time), marking the beginning of one of the most significant moments for the new priests after more than a decade of formation. It is an unforgettable moment, as Fr. Daniel Fernández Díaz del Castillo, L.C., from Colombia, one of the newly ordained priests, stated: “God is great, there are so many emotions. God has told me everything.” Similarly, the new Legionary priest, Fr. Patricio Bringas, originally from Mexico, said that happiness is the emotion that characterizes this moment: “Happy, very happy, I can’t find another word for this moment.”
For his part, the newly ordained Father Jorge Leaños, L.C., recounts that his calling began at the age of eight after meeting a Legionary of Christ priest, an experience that left a lasting impression on him and led him to begin his vocational journey: “My vocational calling began when I was very young, at eight years old, when I met a Legionary priest. His way of being, his witness, and his joy deeply impacted me, and for the first time, I imagined myself in such a vocation.”
“God is great, there are many emotions. God has told me everything.” Fr. Daniel Fernández Díaz del Castillo, L.C.
Thousands of people accompanied this moment, led by the families of the priests, who in their faces, hugs and applause revealed their emotion, joy and pride, a sign of their generosity to the Church and the world in supporting the vocation of each of their children, brothers, nephews, grandchildren.
In his homily, Bishop Juan Vicente Córdoba, S.J., indicated that, as the Second Vatican Council teaches in Presbyterorum Ordinis, “priests exercise their sacred ministry principally in the Eucharistic worship or synaxis, where, acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming his mystery, they unite the prayers of the faithful to the sacrifice of their Head” (PO, 2). Thus, he emphasized, “if the whole Church lives from the Eucharist, all the more so must the priestly life have, live, and embody the Eucharistic form and manner, that is, to give one’s life for the sheep as the good shepherd, so that none may be lost.”
“From today onward, your consecration becomes the ‘priestly life’ of Jesus the Good Shepherd, who dwells in you and becomes love that forgives the sinner, that seeks the lost, that wears itself out for the people entrusted to it, that multiplies and becomes fruitful in apostolic action, that becomes comfort for those who suffer and are wounded by life, that never abandons the poor, that earnestly seeks holiness to become more capable of reflecting the heart of God in the world.”
He also took the opportunity to entrust the new priests to God: “May the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Apostles, accompany you on this path and in this mission. I consecrate you to her, and I ask that you take refuge in her, as the apostles did in their evangelizing work. May she be your comfort, motivation, and grace in your life and ministry.”
At the end, the entire basilica erupted in applause as the newly ordained priests and their loved ones were reunited—a moving and hopeful moment. They are not alone; they have God, their families, and all their Legionary brothers praying for them and their priestly mission.
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The formation process for Legionaries of Christ lasts approximately 12 years before they are ordained priests. The key elements of their preparation and formation as an institution of the Church are outlined in the document Ratio Institutionis, entitled “Christus vita vestra” (Christ’s Life).
By the end of 2025, the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, founded in 1941, will have a stable presence in 23 countries. It is organized into 9 territories and 2 delegations. It has 10 headquarters for general or territorial governance, 95 apostolic communities, a philosophy seminary, a theology seminary, a community of student priests in Rome, a priests’ residence in Mexico, a humanities center in the United States, 5 novitiates, and 7 vocational centers.
It also has a Pontifical International Seminary in Rome and an Interdiocesan Seminary and Theological Institute in São Paulo, Brazil.
