Ángel Alberto Cepeda Pérez

It is the name I received from my parents at the time of my birth and my baptism, Angel Alberto Cepeda Perez, my parents are Angel Atilio Cepeda and Adriana del Carmen Perez de Cepeda, who have been married for 47 years.

Fruit of which we have born 4 children (two girls and two boys), Wendy Niraida Cepeda Perez (47), Angel Atilio Cepeda Perez (45), Jeidy Nidet Cepeda Perez (43), finally, I (36), which I have already described at the beginning of this paragraph my name.

I am a native of San Francisco, San Francisco Municipality of Zulia State in Venezuela, although my childhood and youth I lived in Casigua el Cubo, Jesús Maria Semprun Municipality of Zulia State, where my parents live, since it was in the town where they had been eradicated to work as educators.

His childhood in the village Casigua el Cubo

I grew up in a catholic home where I lived my childhood very happily in this small town called Casigua el Cubo.I studied kindergarten and elementary school at the Escuela Básica, where my mother worked as an educator.

I then continued my high school studies in an institution where my father worked as a teacher of Geography and Bolivarian Chair.

At the end of my studies, my parents gave me the opportunity to continue my university studies in the city of Maracaibo, which is the capital of the state of Zulia.

Need to help others

Both in my childhood as well as in my adolescence I felt the need to help people, especially those in special situations.When I was 9 years old, I made my first communion at the Holy Trinity Parish of Casigua el Cubo, a parish that at that time was served by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

At the age of 15 I was confirmed under the hands of Monsignor Ramiro Diaz who was formerly the parish priest of that parish and had been appointed Bishop at that time of the Apostolic Vicariate of Machiques, now the Diocese.

Ya in my childhood and adolescence I always had a close relationship with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.. In addition, I served in that parish in my adolescence for a short time as a catechetical assistant, without ceasing to have great admiration for the priest and the great work that each one performed.

If training process

In 2003 I began my studies at the University Dr. Rafael Belloso Chacín with the to obtain the title of Electronics Engineer in Telecommunications.I have left a few pauses in my training process.

I felt that something else was missing, that I was not fully satisfied, In this intermittence during my studies I decided to work for a while but something was still missing in my life. After some time I decided to resume my studies and finish them in 2012.

I immediately started working with the Zulia State Government for 4 years, which helped me to grow both humanly and professionally.

It was in 2016 when I decided to quit that job to move to Caracas. in order to be able to practice my profession and continue to grow as a person, but in turn, I began to get a little closer to the Church..

His vocation was born in the Archdiocese of Caracas

Then, I began to help a priest of the Archdiocese of Caracas, who was a priest of the Archdiocese of Caracas.who entrusted me with the management of the social networks of the Good Shepherd Parish.

On this occasion I took the opportunity to confide in the parish priest about my vocational concern towards the priesthood and he suggested me to do a series of exercises that could lead me to truly discern whether or not I was called by God. through the priestly vocation.

After having done all this discernment, Father told me that the decision to say Yes to the Lord was mine. Ft was a hard moment for me, but I lived it with great joy and decided to respond to God's call to me..

I introduced myself to the Bishop of the Diocese of El Vigia - San Carlos de Zulia, Monsignor Juan de Dios Peña Rojas.I received a letter from the Presbyter of the parish where I was doing my service and the Vocational Center of the Archdiocese of Caracas. I received an answer after a few days.

However, it is He told me that I had to go to the seminary of another diocese, since ours does not have its own seminary and for this reason the Bishop has to send us to study in other dioceses.

In the I was admitted to St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary of the Diocese of San Cristobal, where I completed my Propaedeutic and Philosophy studies. during the years 2017 - 2021.

Thanks to a grant from CARF and partners

Next, I was given the opportunity to study theology at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome. in Rome, an opportunity that I accepted with great joy and gratitude.

In which I am currently in my first semester at the Faculty of Theology: it is a great opportunity for the formation of the future pastors of the Catholic Church to receive a quality education as provided by the university and It is a great joy for me to be able to respond generously to this opportunity, especially considering the difficult situation in my country, my beloved Venezuela.

The situation in your country, Venezuela

Today, in particular, Venezuela is going through a crisis. It is a socio-economic crisis, caused by the government, since it has destroyed the educational system, the economic system, the production system and also the oil industry, main source of income for the nation.

Causing an economic inflation that has led a large part of Venezuelan families to total poverty, making it impossible for young people to choose to study a career.The public universities have been mostly destroyed, and access to private education is impossible for families with limited resources.

In addition, There is totalitarianism in that the government controls the entire judicial, electoral and executive systems. In this sense, there is no justice other than that which the government wants to implement. On the other hand, there is also a great division in the opposition political parties that have not allowed for a strategy that would allow a response to the national problems.

Even more so, I am happily grateful to God for having called me to follow him.I will always respond to this call with great joy, to serve the Church in my country, which suffers so much..

And I am particularly grateful to the benefactors of CARF, Centro Academico Romano Foundation, who give me the opportunity to study at such an illustrious University of the Holy Cross.

Refresher courses for journalists

Among its activities, the Faculty of Communication organizes, in collaboration with the ISCOM Association, several refresher courses for journalists dealing with religious informationWe have been able to offer these courses, both in the form of intensive weeks and on a weekly basis. All of this is increasingly necessary, since greater communication on the web has changed the perception of the Church in certain environments, especially after the pandemic phenomenon, which has led to communication through screens.

There are several distance learning courses for journalists, including 8 professional sessions organized by the Faculty in collaboration with the Mediatrends observatory and the aforementioned Iscom Association.

Rodrigo Luiz dos Santos, journalist, missionary and married

One of the journalists who attended these distance learning sessions, in particular the Introduction to Institutional Church Communication Course, is Rodrigo Luiz dos Santos, from Brazil, who is a lay missionary of the Catholic movement Canção Nova, a Catholic charismatic community, founded by Father Jonas Abib and recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as a private international association.

This institution is made up of women and men, young and old, single, married and celibate, priests and deacons, who assume the most radical experience of consecration to God made in Baptism and Confirmation, in function of the apostolate, in a life in community, according to the state of each one. The association has the Gospel as its foundation: to live and communicate it in an integral way, through meetings and, preferably, but not exclusively, through the media.

Happy husband and father of two 

Luiz was born and lives in São Paulo, Brazil, where the association's headquarters are also located. He is 40 years old and is currently director of Journalism at Canção Nova de São Paulo and a presenter.

And last but not least, I am a happy husband and father of two children: Tobias (7 years old) and Serena (3 years old).

Nice to meet you, Luiz... The truth is that it was a case to know about you, since you do not attend the classes of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross here in Rome, but on the internet...

Yes, and for that I am very grateful to the University of the Holy Cross for making the course available online for free, a very rich content for everyone and to spread the message of the Church.

Church Communication 

This content is available not only to students and alumni, but also to all journalists who wish to continue their training in this great task of Church communication...

Of course! And besides very practical issues, such as the class on communication planning, what I most enjoyed were the reflections of several professors, such as José María La Porte, who stated, during a class, that "journalism should not simply be a witness of what happened, but a person who analyzes, who offers an explanation, who proposes a vision of the facts as objective as possible, even if it is subjective". And that is precisely what we try to present in our journalism.

Association and Canção Nova movement

And I imagine that, as your association and movement, Canção Nova, is dedicated not only to evangelization but to the communication of all the contents of the faith, this reflection of Professor La Porte must be very important in the task of the journalist, as well as the experience of studying in a Pontifical University....

 Yes, it has a huge significance! Besides, I was already living in Rome for a while, between 2002 and 2007.

Is that how you got to know the University of the Holy Cross?

Yes, I met her at that time, because I was working in Rome as a Missionary for the Canção Nova Community, to which I have belonged since 2000.

Covering information for the Holy See

And you were already in charge of communication?

Precisely... And I had the grace to work organizing materials for the Film Library of the then Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications and covering daily events at the Holy See as a cameraman and producer.

At the heart of the Church

¡How interesting! And I find it wonderful this perpetual contact, in your life and in the lives of many of our students and former students, between the heart of the Church, which is Rome, and all the countries of the world....

I was fortunate enough to follow the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. All this contributed to my knowledge of the ecclesial reality and to a great love for the history, the present and the future progress of the Church.

From a Catholic family

...and in your particular case we can truly say that life is a carnival, as Celia Cruz sang, right?

Of course I did! As I was telling you, I was born and raised in the interior of São Paulo and I received the faith thanks to my family. We are a large and united Catholic family. But it was an experience in my adolescence, during a youth retreat at a Brazilian carnival, that awakened a new way of living the faith based on a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Missionary and lay at the same time

So you decided to dedicate yourself completely to God, being a husband and a father. There are people who think that it is not possible to be a missionary and a layman at the same time....

On the contrary! For us, my wife and I, it is a grace to invest our lives in the evangelizing mission. My wife and I joined Canção Nova when we were very young, ready to give our lives. We met there, precisely in a mission... It all started with God: we fell in love and got married. We have been married for 9 years and we have two wonderful children. My wife also works in Communications as editor-in-chief and presenter of the "Jornal da Manhã", the morning news on our TV station.

Mission-driven

The whole existence in function of the mission...

Well, of course! You see, being a husband, a father, a missionary... These are three demanding and challenging realities. But, I always seek balance in dialogue with my wife, whom I always try to support and from whom I receive support. As a father, I believe that spending a lot of time with them, playing with them is something very necessary and I make an effort to be with them. In Canção Nova, we learned the importance of organizing life according to the mission. In this way, for me, in spite of the demands, I feel very fulfilled in living as a missionary, communicator, husband and father.

Thanks to the University of the Holy Cross

And you told me that this is something for which you are very grateful to the University of the Holy Cross?

Well, yes... As you can imagine, being a missionary, communicator, husband and father - as I told you before - does not give me much time for personal formation... However, the concrete and precious contribution that I received from the University of the Holy Cross was the possibility of attending the online course available for free, being able to follow it here in Brazil, according to my schedule.

A book about grief and loss

Something we didn't tell you until now is that you are also a writer and you have just released a book about the mourning of grief and loss?

Precisely... The title in Portuguese is "Overcoming the pain of losing someone you love"(overcoming the pain of the loss of the person you love). It is a book that deals with the theme of overcoming grief. I wrote it together with the priest Licio de Araújo Vale, a specialist in grief and suicide. The book is based on scientific studies, Catholic Doctrine and the Word of God, as well as the testimonies of those who lost their son or of the priest who, at the age of 13, lost his father to suicide.

A work that can help a lot of people...

It is something that one never thinks about, until it happens to himself... I myself had never thought of writing about this topic, but given the loss of my mother-in-law, when it was our turn to live the mourning, the grief in our family, in 2019, and then with the tragedy of the coronavirus pandemic, with so many people who lost their loved ones, I realized that something had to be done and I felt the inspiration to write something that could help many people in this process of overcoming grief, transforming it into a sweet memory.

Rodrigo, thank you very much for your testimony and for your book that will help many people. Also for your other book to help parents to participate with their children in the Holy Mass. 

Acknowledgments to CARF

Rodrigo Luiz dos Santos is a layman who also benefits from the support of the benefactors of the CARF Foundation - Centro Academico Romano Foundation, support that allows to continue the formation of former students from all over the world, for the good of the Church and society.

"I come from a Catholic family. I am the youngest of five children: two brothers and three sisters.. My parents always took me to church and there I was attracted by the preaching of the parish priest, because he had a great gift of attracting people by his simplicity.

This priest inspired me a lot because in addition to his homilies on Sundays, during catechism classes he always talked to us about the life of the Church.ocation to the priesthood and to religious life. Also about the path that God asked of each one.

Love for priests

In some of those catechism classes, I remember the priest asking who wanted to be a priest, and some of us raised our hands. Ever since I was a little boy, I have had a great love for the Holy Mass and priests. They have inspired my vocation to the priesthood.

With this desire, in 2008, after finishing my primary school studies, I entered the minor seminary at the age of 14. In 2014 I began my philosophy studies at the major seminary of my diocese and then did a year of pastoral ministry.

A great reception in Spain 

It was in 2018 when my bishop sent me to the Bidasoa International Seminary in Pamplona to continue my formation in Theology.

When I arrived in Spain, I felt very well received and welcomed by the trainers and students of Bidasoa.. The kindness of the people is very gratifying. This country is very beautiful, besides offering a rich gastronomy, especially shrimps and snails.

Religious freedom in Uganda

What is my country like? In Uganda, for example, we have no problems with religious freedom, everyone has the right to their own belief and thank God, we have no clashes between us over religion.

The youth in Uganda are very open to religious matters and young people show a constant search to meet God. This can be seen in the youth activities we organize in my diocese and the large number of boys and girls who come to church.

Africa is the Catholic reserve of today's world

I sincerely believe that the message of Jesus can reach them through the closeness of the pastors and the interest they show in the Gospel. That is why I believe that Africa is currently the Catholic reserve of the world today.

A lot of pastoral work is carried out, every day new parishes are built and many people attend them, and a large number of baptisms and confirmations are celebrated.

Synod on Synodality

Regarding the upcoming Synod of Bishops on synodality, to which the Holy Father has convoked the entire People of God, I believe that one of the most important things is the participation of all the members of the family. Every household should promote involvement in this Synod in which the whole universal Church should participate.

Evangelizing in social networks

On the other hand, society has changed a lot in recent years, especially because of the great influence of social networks. For this reason, it is necessary for Catholics to evangelize in this new apostolic field.. The Church must give the best response in all social networks.

However, I believe that the best way to evangelize is through friendship, face to face, but since everyone is now connected through networks, the church must also preach in this digital continent.

Thanks to benefactors

To all my benefactors who have made my studies in Pamplona possible, I thank them for their support. Without your collaboration it would not be possible to continue my formation on this path to holiness through the priesthood.

I encourage you to continue with the commendable work you do with so many servants of the Lord who do not have the financial resources, but have an immense desire to be trained to serve others and to be able to offer them quality training.

Hoping that God will bless you, I commend myself to your prayers, while keeping you in my prayers".