Julio Alberto Ordoñez Álvarez is a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala.
"My first memory of knowing that I was called by God was at the age of eleven, I was studying in a Catholic school run by Jesuits and every first Friday of the month they took us to Mass, I don't remember the date well but on one of those Friday Masses, at the moment of the consecration and that Father Gullón (he was the priest who celebrated the Mass) lifts the Sacred Form, I began to think that I wanted to do that in my life.
From that moment on I asked my mother to let me be part of the acolytes of my parish, and that was how I began to get involved in the service of the Lord, I went every day to Mass to be able to acolyte and be at the Altar, and as I grew older I was getting more involved in youth groups in my parish, practically all my adolescence I lived hand in hand with my parish but also as time passed I forgot more and more my intention of being a priest.
At the age of 18 when I finished my high school career I started working, and unfortunately I began to move away from God and started a stage in which I really moved away from Him, but at the age of 23 after suffering the loss of my aunt due to cancer, I began to get closer to God again, and so I began to serve again in the Church, and through this service I fell in love with God again and the desire to become a priest came back to my thoughts, which made me start going to vocational meetings in my diocese.
The vocational encounters helped me a lot and gave me light on where to direct my life, and I think I clearly saw that it was the priesthood but also entered into my fear of being one, so instead of entering the seminary I decided not to follow this path and began to tell myself that the priesthood was not my path.
Years went by, I was still serving in the church, I met a girl with whom I fell in love and we became engaged, but after some time of relationship I realized that the Lord insisted in my mind that he wanted me as a priest, and I remember preparing a talk for a retreat course for young people called "study and vocation". I went into a crisis because I was going to talk to the boys about vocation and I was not following mine.
When I realized this crisis I decided to seek spiritual direction and one of my best friends introduced me to Father Mario, a priest of Opus Dei who accompanied me for a while in my vocational discernment, and in this discernment I decided that I wanted to answer the call that God was making me to be a diocesan priest.
I have lived in Pamplona throughout my priestly formation and my studies for the Baccalaureate in theology; these are years in which there have been both joys and sorrows, successes and failures, moments of strength and moments of crisis, but with God's help I have been able to enjoy and face them.
One of the first experiences and the one I keep in my heart is the day I came to Bidasoa, I remember well that it was a Tuesday afternoon and because of the trip I had not yet been able to attend the Holy Mass, but at the time that I had already managed to settle a little in what would be my room, I was informed that a bishop of Brazil (who came to visit Bidasoa during those days) was going to celebrate Holy Mass in a few moments and that I could participate in it, I was informed that a bishop from Brazil (who was visiting Bidasoa during those days) was going to celebrate the Holy Mass in a few moments and that I could participate in it, I quickly got ready, entered the oratory and I was ready to live it but I had lost sight of something which was the language, the Holy Mass would be in Portuguese and although at that time I did not understand much of what was being said my heart and mind were able to situate themselves in what was being lived; This first experience made my love for the Church grow even more, since I experienced and understood the universality that I heard so much about it.
It is also important to mention that this blessing of being formed in the Bidasoa International Seminary would not be possible without the help that you so generously and selflessly give, that is to say our benefactors of CARF, who day by day put food on our tables, a roof to live and sleep under and a place where we can learn more about God.
Supports a vocation anywhere in the world
A full scholarship of 18,000 euros is the amount necessary for a candidate to live and study for one year at their university locations, whether in Rome or Pamplona. The neediest dioceses in the world require a full scholarship for their candidates. In many cases, the diocese covers part of this cost and a lesser amount is required, which is always indicated with the candidate's application.
What does a full scholarship consist of?
More than 800 bishops from all five continents request study grants for their candidates through scholarships. Thanks to benefactors like you, CARF meets most of the requests, but the needs are growing and we want all requests to be met.
In the graph you can see the composition of a full scholarship.
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