I am César Arturo Sánchez Lara, a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Monterrey, in northern Mexico. I am the second of three children from the marriage of Arturo Sánchez-Barajas and María de la Luz Lara Rodríguez.

After eight years of active life in the apostolate in my parish, it was a surprise for me to discover that I could follow the Lord more closely and, through the accompaniment of a priest in the vocational center of the archdiocese, I applied to the seminary. On August 8, 2015, I began my formation towards the priesthood with joy and expectation: joy in responding to the Lord's call and expectation of what this response implies, because we never finish knowing God because He always makes all things new.

I had the grace of studying professionally at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León obtaining a degree in Education and far from feeling that the vocational response would limit the development of my profession I have discovered that, although the priestly task far exceeds the work that I could develop in teaching, one does not cancel the other but they complement each other.

At the Seminary of Monterrey I completed a year of diploma in humanities, another one of propaedeutic course and three years of philosophical studies in which I wrote a dissertation to obtain the civil degree of Lic. in Philosophy. The following school year I did a year of pastoral work in the Episcopal House as assistant to our esteemed Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López. On July 28, 2021, I arrived in Pamplona at the Bidasoa International Ecclesiastical College to continue my formation towards the priesthood. I know that the integral formation of a seminarian includes various dimensions that have to be maximized and that this implies having the best human and material resources.

I am grateful for the efforts they make to make this possible, because during my stay in Bidasoa and in the UNAV I discover that, as a seminarian, I find myself in a place where the integral formative environment to form priests according to the pastoral needs of today is privileged.

I have no doubt that it is the Holy Spirit who moves your hearts to do this praiseworthy work of assisting in the formation of the priests who will be accompanying the holy people of God, but I recognize that it is praiseworthy to second those inspirations as you, indeed, do. God, who sees the secret, will reward you. I join you in prayer, placing before our good God your intentions, that they may be heard, and your needs, that they may be met.

Without further ado, I reiterate my deep gratitude and commend you to Our Lord Jesus Christ through the intercession of Our Lady of the Oak, patroness of the Archdiocese of Monterrey.