"I am Saúl Ruiz García, a priest of the Diocese of Tabasco in Mexico. Relatively recently I received, through the imposition of hands of my bishop, the priestly ordination.

I was 15 years old when I discovered God's call while participating in an adolescent movement in my parish, in the municipality of Nacajuca, in the diocese of Tabasco. The life witness of the priests who accompanied us in the parish was an inspiration for me to listen to the voice of God whispering in my ear: "Come, follow me".

After completing my university studies, I answered the call that God had given me seven years earlier, but that I remembered every day as if it were the first time: "Come, follow me".

"Since 2016 I have been pursuing my theological studies at the University of Navarra thanks to the support I receive from you.

This year 2020 has been a very difficult year and, surely, we never imagined living a situation like this.

In spite of this, I have experienced the grace of God in my life, because last May 31 I received the diaconate ordination in the parish of San Nicolás, in Pamplona. It was a different celebration, lived in the intimacy of the Bidasoa International Seminary, sharing with very close seminarians and priests, since, due to the pandemic, it was not possible for many more people to accompany us as we would have liked.

I had the opportunity to travel, in June of that same year, to my diocese. There, the situation was quite complicated with regard to the pandemic. Masses were not celebrated in the presence of the people, and I had to follow the transmissions through social networks.

It was on August 15 when I received a call from my bishop. He informed me that he had made the decision to perform my priestly ordination on August 31, two days before my return to Spain, since I had to continue my biblical studies.

The priestly ordination was even more intimate than the diaconate ordination, only my father and my brothers (10 people invited) could accompany me and, as it was held in the Major Seminary of my diocese, only the seminarians and the priests of the formation team were present, everything was behind closed doors.

During my seminary formation, nine years in total, when I was thinking about ordination to the priesthood, I was looking forward to sharing this moment with the people of God, but when the time came, this was not possible due to the situation in which we find ourselves. Despite this, I have not ceased to feel the spiritual support that many people, friends and acquaintances have expressed to me."

I am deeply grateful for the enormous work they do so that priests and seminarians can continue our formation, a formation with a great vision of the universality of our Church.

May God and our Mother the Virgin of Guadalupe bless you abundantly."".