The Colombian Pedro Castillo and the Mexican Jesús Flores Herrera are two of the 23 men who will receive the permanent diaconate at a solemn ceremony in the Plaza de San Pedro del Vaticano held by the pre-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Mons. Rino Fisichella.
The remaining 21 come from various nations: two from Brazil, five from Colombia, one from France, three from Italy, two from Mexico, two from Poland, three from Spain and three from the United States.
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The hospitalization of Pope Francis last Friday by a respiratory infection that has resulted in a bilateral pneumony has prevented him from ordering them.
A news that plunged them into a deep sadness. “I have been very present in my prayers asking for its speedy recovery. He has given us so much with his pontificate that I hope to see him and receive his blessing and thus be able to thank him for everything he has done, ”says Pedro.
In his suitcase he has brought all the love of his parish Our Lady of the Rosary of Villamaría, of the Colombian Archdiocese of Manizales.
“It was the assignment they gave me at the time I said goodbye to them; There are many people praying for him, ”he says.
In any case, he assures that the jubilee of the deacons, which will attract Rome, according to the organizers, more than 6,000 pilgrims, from a hundred countries, will be developed “normally with the grace of God and with the faith placed in the recovery of the Holy Father. ”
Jesus coincides: “We will live that special moment without him by sending him a message of strength.”
His presence presence in the eternal city, as an example of delivery and service in the jubilee of the deacons, has a lot to do with the simplicity of the greatness of God.
An example of this is the delay in ordination as a permanent deacon of Jesus in the Mexican diocese of Cancun-Chetumal. “They postponed it up to three times,” he explains.
However, everything made sense when his pastor, Jorge Alberto Castañeda, warned him in December that he had been selected to travel to Rome. “It was a great joy,” he reveals.
Enthusiasm that Pedro also felt: “It has been a great fortune pilgrimage to the Holy See and return to my archdiocese with the order of the diaconate and the blessing of the jubilee, the indulgence; It is simply wonderful. ”
They have more things in common. Both wanted to be priests when they were young. But that was not his true path.
God put in front of those who are now his wives. Pedro Castillo has married to Loxora Clavijo Álzate 29 years. And Jesús Flores, 40 with Isabel Jiménez Rodríguez. They have 2 and 5 children respectively.
Marriage and paternity, other great vocations
Like that of marriage, Jesus points out that being parents “is another great vocation.” “Our dedication is put in its entirety to give to the Lord, to deliver sweet fruits at all times,” he says
In addition, neither understands the diaconate service without the help of their life partners. “We have done the path of faith as we have always done together,” says Pedro.
In fact, both he and Jesus received the call from the diaconate within marriage.
A circumstance that, according to the latter, “reinforces both sacraments, despite the difficulties of reconciling work, family and diaconal life.”
Jesus also details that being permanent deacon means every day to be the “instrument of peace and justice that our Lord Jesus wants.”
A total dedication that is interwoven with the thread of that “particular experience that is had through marriage.”
A service to the people of God
From now on, his work in the Church will be focused on parish pastoral, attention to patients and catechesis. They will also have a key role in communities where the lack of priests makes it necessary for permanent deacons to graze several communities.
To get here, both have had to prepare conscientiously. The diaconate formation process includes spiritual strengthening through the daily sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist, as well as a solid theological basis on issues such as the magisterium of the Church, the Word of God, the history of salvation, Christology and Mariology, among others.
In addition, prayer and spiritual exercises have been for both of a fundamental pillar to face the daily challenges of this vocation.
With the heart full of gratitude, Peter and Jesus begin this new chapter in their service to the Church, convinced that their mission is to witness the love of God.
The Jubilee of the Deacons will congregate in Rome almost 4,000 permanent deacons with their families, from various parts of the world. Italy will have the largest delegation, followed by the United States with 1,300 deacons, France with 656, Spain with 350, Brazil with 230, Germany with 160 and Mexico with 150.
Numerous groups from Poland, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Canada, as well as representatives of countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, India, Indonesia and Australia will also arrive.
Update
Victoria Cardiel
Victoria Cardiel is a journalist specialized in social and religious information issues. Since 2013, he has covered all the news of the Vatican for various media, such as the Spanish news agency Europa Press, or the weekly of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Alfa and Omega.