In the midst of a profound feeling of grief, and with a great sense of hope from the entire Regnum Christi family, on December 7th, the funeral rites were held at the Colegio Cumbres Medellín to bid farewell and pay tribute to Fr. Jorge Herrera Álvarez del Castillo, LC, David Baena Moreno, Juan Diego Salazar Román, and Steven Giraldo Montoya, who passed away on Sunday, December 5th, returning from a spiritual retreat in the desert.

More than 1,500 people attended, including Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated members of Regnum Christi, lay members of Regnum Christi, families and staff of the school, relatives, and friends of the deceased. They united their prayers with lit candles, asking for the eternal rest of these four brothers, who were veiled in the wake chamber throughout the night. The solemn Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Carlos Gutiérrez, LC, territorial director, and concelebrated by 21 Legionaries of Christ. From different countries, thousands of people followed the live broadcast of the ceremony and sent messages of affection and closeness. You can see a photo gallery of the funeral rites.

A Call to Hope

During his homily, Fr. Juan Carlos Quintero, LC, local director of Medellín, commented: “We feel pain because they are no longer with us. It’s hard for me to speak to you, but I need to do it. To speak of the resurrection and of life, to speak of hope, but above all, of the heaven that awaits us, with trust placed in God as the first reading said: “God will destroy death forever, the Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces.” Ultimately, He will give us comfort.”

He added: “For all of us, Fr. Jorge, Steven, David, and Juan Diego have left us. For God and before our faith, they have risen; they have been born into new life with God. All of them are like that heavily laden branch that falls to the ground due to the weight of the fruits it has borne, and at the same time, those fruits are seeds of new trees and food for others. They are, in short, a great inspiration for us. An inspiration for those of us who are priests and who daily dedicate ourselves to the ministry to serve with greater love. An inspiration for all of you young people, because Juan Diego and David saw the face of God smiling at them, encouraging them, and inviting them to serve and live passionately; an invitation for you, young members of Regnum Christi in Medellín, from Steven, who walked silently, prudently, wisely alongside us, illuminating us with his spiritual depth, with his desire to be formed and to form others, with his desire to seek the fullness of life by serving and following God.”

Witnesses of God’s Love

Fr. Jorge Herrera Álvarez del Castillo, LC

Father Jorge de Jesús Herrera Álvarez del Castillo, LC, was born in Durango, Mexico, on June 10, 1990. His name, Jesús, comes from being consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from the day of his birth, and it was during this feast that he was ordained a priest just six months ago in Medellín, where he had been working since 2020 as a Formation Instructor at Colegio Cumbres and as director of the youth section and the ECYD.

Father Jorge had written on October 10th on his Instagram account: “Thinking about heaven leads us to live life with more enthusiasm.” In this interview conducted on the occasion of his diaconal ordination in October 2020, he commented: “The concept of helping others has been my main motivation. And thinking that the best way to do it is to show them the way to heaven and help them reach it.”

David Baena Moreno

David was born in Medellín on September 6, 2003. He was the eldest of three children. Since his arrival at Colegio Cumbres at the age of three, he grew up within the Regnum Christi family. A missionary from childhood alongside his inseparable friend Juan Diego, he participated in numerous apostolates. His smile and desire to serve others were his hallmark. He graduated from high school in June 2021 and decided to dedicate a year of his life to God through the Regnum Christi Collaborators program. In his application letter to join, he wrote: “My main goal is to help many young people have an experience of Christ and thus take Him as their friend and grow in that friendship. To understand that while we grow in faith, we can have fun, make friends, and have many experiences; that we are neither strangers nor fools nor from another planet, that we are young and that we were children just like them, only that God made the difference in us.”

During the funeral service, his mother shared this moving testimony of faith.

Juan Diego Salazar Román

Juan Di, as his friends called him, was born in Medellín on March 6, 2004. He was the second of three siblings. He also grew up within the Regnum Christi family, always able to make everyone laugh with his jokes and eager to help others. “That’s why we’re here, to help,” he often said. He graduated from Colegio Cumbres Medellín in June 2021 and decided to dedicate a year of his life to God in Regnum Christi. He dreamed of inspiring young people.

In his application letter to join the Collaborators program, he wrote: “I try to keep my relationship with God as the person I can tell everything to and who always helps me. That’s why I have faith in Him and I don’t doubt that He is by my side. I want to be that intermediary between the young person and God.”

Testimony of María Gabriela Salazar

Steven Giraldo Montoya

Steven was born in Medellín on January 21, 1990. He was the eldest of two children. He studied Telecommunications Engineering at the Pontifical Bolivarian University and worked as a programming engineer at a well-known company in that sector. He came to Regnum Christi through the youth group in Medellín that participated in the World Youth Day in Panama 2019. He got in touch via social media, joined this group of pilgrims, and from then on, began a spiritual journey within Regnum Christi. That path led him to find the goal he longed for: to serve God and do His will.

In these testimonies given by his mother and sister during the funeral ceremony, we can learn more about his ideal of being formed and forming others to lead them to the Lord’s path.

Novena

Starting Thursday, December 9th, and until Friday, December 17th, there will be a novena of Masses at Colegio Cumbres Medellín to pray for the eternal rest of these four brothers and to ask God for the gift of strength for their families and friends. A broadcast will be available on the territorial YouTube channel for those who cannot attend and wish to join.