By: Ángel Josué Loredo García, seminarian.

It was August 2015.  I was starting my ninth year of formation; more specifically, I was beginning my studies in the third year in the Institute of Theology and I had great expectancies about resuming my academic formation in the Seminary.  Undoubtedly, one of the news we – seminarians – expected with utmost excitement, was knowing what our apostleship experience would be.

I can clearly remember that, at first, I saw in the list of apostleship activities, the names of two seminarian brothers and mine, our destination were two chapels: Espiritu Santo and San Judas Tadeo, both in Juarez, Nuevo Leon.  Beside the chapel names, the Seminary’s Aletheia Multimedia Center also appeared in the list, as the site of apostleship.  This news, I must say, was too shocking for me, for Aletheia is a studio where lots of work is done in computers, video cameras, and other tasks and, to say the truth, I am not good on technology.

The person in charge of the project was father Martin Galicia, the spiritual director of the Seminary of the Institute of Philosophy.  I approached father Martin in the earliest opportunity for a clarification of what awaited me.  Thanks God, he let me know that my mission would be only at the chapels and, together with this, I was surprised to know that the project consisted of initiating the formation of a parish community with the faithful from these chapels.  Why was it a surprise?  What is usual, at least in the apostleship experiences I had had so far, was to be in pastorally established parishes or, more specifically in the Vocational pastoral.  So, the challenge I was presented with was a very interesting one from that very moment.

Today, I can say that the time God allowed me to live in these two beautiful communities has been truly enriching.  Because contemplating the simple and fervent faith of the people who form these communities has strengthen my vocational process.  Also, this encounter with the part of the People of God that lives in these places where, we have shared our faith, has been a reality that helped me renew the vocational response that I intend to give to God’s invitation to follow him.

Personally, without a doubt, the feeling that has emerged the most is one of profound gratitude, in the face of so many signs of appreciation and affection from the community.  It is a great joy to experience the trust of so many people, when they share, from the bottoms of their hearts, their life experiences with me.  This is a priceless treasure that forms in me the heart of a future shepherd of the flock of God.  I thank our good God for the opportunity to serve him through his people.