Berman de Jesús Robles Romero is a Nicaraguan priest of the Diocese of Granada, a student of the second year of the Licentiate in Systematic Theology (orientation in Moral and Spiritual Theology) at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra.
"I wish to share with you in a few brushstrokes my vocational journey, where Divine Providence has manifested its mercy with me, destining me by pure grace and love to this priestly ministry, a call that was confirmed December 08, 2018, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Our Mother.
Thanks to God, I was born and grew up with my parents and my four siblings in a family environment of Christian faith, which helped me to experience the greatness of the Lord from a very young age and awakened in me the desire to correspond to Him.
The first memory I have about my vocational restlessness was when I was about five years old; on that occasion my father asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, to which I answered without delay: "I want to be a priest". He told me that the next day he would take me to the parish priest in town so that he could make me a priest; of course he didn't do it because I was too little and unaware of what he was saying.
As I grew older, I also, silently, grew in me that light of vocation that was externalized like the glow of a shooting star when I was very young. I participated very closely in the activities of my community chapel on Sundays, where a layman led what we called the Celebration of the Word of God, due to the absence of the priest; my parish, with its seat in the village, was made up of more than 50 communities like mine, making the frequent attendance of the priest at the communities' celebrations impossible.
When I was in high school, the priest came to my chapel four times a year to celebrate the sacraments, every three months; everything was a big party, everything was suspended in the community to go to church. And seeing that openness of the people for the sacramental celebrations was awakening in me the curiosity of why the priest did not arrive more frequently if the people went with great dedication to the chapel when he was in the community, besides, if almost everyone was looking for him to greet him, to talk with him; well, I did not reserve my curiosity, I let him know my curiosities and he answered me that it was because he did not come to the chapel to celebrate the sacraments.
There were many priests; surely I also asked about the causes of the shortage, and about the requirements to become a priest.
At the age of 17, I entered the minor seminary of my diocese to attend a propaedeutic year, after finishing my secondary studies, knowing that I was going to try it, to see if the Lord was calling me to this path.
I told my parents so and they also confirmed it when they told me that if I did not feel like I was doing well, I could return home without any problem to study at the university.
I entered in January 2011, the following year I went to the Major Seminary, also in my Diocese, and from there I left last year as a priest to continue my formation here in Navarra, thanks to the generosity and dedication of all of you. I pray to God and Our Lady for your needs and intentions".
"Thanks to your prayers, I am moving forward in my quest to be another Christ. In the same way, just as you help spiritually, you also help materially, because this would not be possible without people with generous hearts who think of the future of the Church. For this reason I thank you unconditionally for your charism of service, collaboration and availability.
May God bless the work you do in the Church, that it may be fruitful, and may he bless your personal work. For this is the cause from which will arise more acts of generosity in the world, more priests in the Church and more people dedicated by your example. I commend you to our Mother the Virgin Mary, daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son and Spouse of God the Holy Spirit".
