Cristobal Jose and his twin brother Diego Jesus Rodriguez were ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Bernardo Alvarez of Tenerife on Saturday at the parish of the Immaculate Conception. The ordination was attended by Bishop Emeritus Felipe Fernandez (pic'd here) and Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras.
Cristobal and Diego are both 24 years old and hail from the island of Tenerife. Cristobal described his decision to consider the priesthood, saying, “When you consider as a young person saying ‘Yes’ to the Lord forever, you do it from knowing that you have discovered Christ who gives reason to your existence and gives hope to your life.”
“When I decided to embark upon this priestly journey, I began twelve years ago motivated perhaps by the attractive lives of a priest and a nun. Their example, the way they carried out their ministries etc., everything spoke to me of Christ. Thanks to these people, I fell in love with the Gospel to the point of surrendering my life totally to Christ. When I think of my work as a priest, I am excited about the day to day task of contributing to the work for fraternity, justice and love,” he said.
For his part, Diego said that when he was little, he was always asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. He always answered: “a priest.”
“It was precisely the priest in my town who invited me to see the seminary and little by little my enthusiasm grew. I entered the diocesan seminary at the age of 11 and I have spent twelve years in formation, like my brother. During all this time I have experienced it all: doubts, uncertainties, but also joy and conviction for living out the vocation.”
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(Source: CNA)