Rolvin Romero is 41 years old and is a priest of the Diocese of Virac in the Philippines. He was trained at the Bidasoa International Ecclesiastical College and was ordained a priest in 2006. He has returned to the University of Navarra by order of his bishop to pursue a licentiate in Canon Law.
He says that his vocation was not very well received by his father, although, with the help of his mother, he was able to show him what his path was. "The Lord captivated me with the attractiveness of the life of a priest. I was twelve years old when I entered the seminary. There I found happiness: I was where I was supposed to be and doing what I was supposed to do. I have had occasions to decline, but I didn't."
Although he recognizes that going back to school has been difficult, "loving what you do" has helped him a lot to pick up the pace. He assures that coming back to this land has been like coming back to his second home: "The city has changed a lot, but deep down it is still my old Pamplona".
The 14 years he spent as a priest in the Philippines were spent organizing some villages into a parish. "I see those years as the best moments of my life. It was starting from scratch, with nothing but the desire to do my best. I was in the midst of mostly poor fishermen and farmers, I learned a lot from the simple and strong faith of the people. I remember in the first weeks of my stay there: sleeping on the ground and collecting water for home. I always woke up in the morning with a fresh fish left by the fishermen at the door. They say that the biggest fish is always for the priest. And it is true, the poor evangelized me a lot! I learned from their great faith, simplicity, joy, and above all their generosity".
"We Filipinos have inherited many things from the popular religiosity of the Spaniards. Navarra is a missionary land. I am learning a lot and now I understand many things when I go into the villages: their customs, the patron saint festivities, the processions...", he explains.
Asked about his pastoral work, he says he is very happy: "For me it is not something strange. We priests are not ordained for ourselves, but to help people and be with them. There are villages that have only 5 or 6 people at mass and we may think that we are not doing anything. However, we must sow with joy, just as we were the fruit of the seed sown by our ancestors. That is how we have been growing".
He is very grateful for the help received from benefactors to be able to continue his studies, without which it would not have been possible: "There are many people who help us and although they do not see it, they are doing many good things for the Church. The support we receive from them is part of God's surprises and the joys we experience are also theirs. Thank you for your continuous prayers and for your generosity. I commend you to our Mother the Virgin Mary and keep you present at every Holy Mass".
