Airan Osmar Cortés Silva is a seminarian from the Diocese of Tabasco, Mexico.
"I can say that my vocation began when I was about 14 years old, as a result of a teenage retreat that I had the grace to attend.
From there, I began to have an attendance and interest in the things of God. I started to come to the meetings of the teenage groups in my parish, mass every Sunday. In this way, little by little, my faith grew.
After a year of perseverance in the teenage groups, a group of friends of ours had the idea of forming a teenage choir. But of course, we were 14, 15 and 16 year olds with the idea of forming a choir, but we didn't have enough resources to be able to do it. It happened that we ventured to carry out different activities such as raffles and a somewhat large event with which we could get all the resources to be able to form it.
We managed to have the necessary resources, only one thing was missing: learning to play the instruments. And although many did not have faith in us, we managed to form the choir. We were in service for 8 years where we sang in masses, pilgrimages, youth events, patronal feasts. It was a great experience. I tell this in detail because it was my service that helped me to strengthen my vocation. Thanks to this service I was able to get to know the diocese and realize the need for priests, not only in my diocese but all over the world.
With a spiritual accompaniment of two years and at the end of my professional career, I took the step to enter the seminary in 2016.
I was in the seminary of my diocese for only a year and a half, because in October 2017 I was given the news that I had to travel to Spain to take my formation in the Bidasoa seminary and my studies at the University of Navarra.
I must admit that at the beginning it was a bit difficult, but with God's help I was able to get through it and today I am completely happy in Bidasoa, less than two years away from finishing my training".
"I am grateful for all the good you do for the Dioceses in need in order to respond to the challenges of the new evangelization.
May the Lord St. Joseph and Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede before their Beloved Son and fill you with abundant mercy and blessings for you and your families."
