Interview with P. Sebastián Rodríguez, LC, Director of the Youth Section of Regnum Christi in Valencia

Father Sebastián Rodríguez, LC, is a Chilean priest and director of the youth section of the Regnum Christi in Valencia. He is 35 years old and, although now working with young people, he was the treasurer of the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. Quite a change. At 14, he joined the Student Center and at 18, the novitiate. The Communications Office of the Regnum Christi in Spain has spoken with him and shared his passion for young people and for the Pope. He told us how his call to the priesthood happened (in the middle of an English exam…), and what his prayer life is like. We are left with one of his phrases to define himself: a Legionary priest “who seeks to contribute to society with that friend Christ who once captivated him and who asks him to transmit it wherever he is, through work and in his simple and joyful way.”

Who is P. Sebastián?

A Legionary of Christ, Chilean, with a wonderful family, who seeks to bring to society that friend Christ who once captivated him and who asks him to transmit it wherever he is, through work and in his simple and joyful way.

When they told him “Valencia, Spain,” what did he feel? Fear? Excitement? A bit of vertigo?

There were two moments. First, I decided to wait a little longer. I was coming from a difficult personal situation in Rome and thought it wise to wait before changing jobs. When they asked me, I believe it was in May or June 2020, the difficult situation had already been resolved, and I was at a point of regaining strength to recover what I had lost personally. At the same time, at the apostolic work level, I needed to establish good norms and order for all the good we had done during the four years managing the Ateneo. But there was a second moment; returning from community vacations in August, they insisted I come to Valencia, and I immediately saw God’s will. I asked for at least two months to leave things in order as treasurer and to instruct my secular successor, and between papers and COVID, I ended up arriving in Valencia in November 2020.

What did I feel? Happiness, perhaps I would have preferred a country closer to my family, but I knew Spain, from my experience in Barcelona during apostolic practices, was a good place to work. I knew some people in Valencia, and for that reason, I traveled happily, knowing I would have a good experience, and this initial excitement increased as soon as I arrived in this beloved city and started meeting people.

How is your community life now? Have you noticed much of a change from Rome to Valencia?

I went from a community of almost 40 to a community of 9 (with two not living with us), plus the two pre-candidates. A big advantage was that I knew all the fathers before arriving, and the current collaborator, Andrés, is excellent. It’s a quite young community, so I have felt very comfortable since I arrived. Changes? Of course, there have been. Certainly, the community of the General Directorate is different because of the type of work done there, although I also experienced very beautiful years where I learned and saw how many fathers are day and night thinking and seeking the good of the Legion and Regnum Christi. The community of the General Directorate also underwent several changes, starting with the superior and some members of the community following the last General Chapter, and undoubtedly, these changes in Rome helped me to be better prepared for the community life I now have in Valencia.

How did you come to know the Legionaries of Christ? What attracted you?

I studied at the Cumbres School in Chile from a very young age, so I always had contact with the Legionaries. I was impressed by their joviality, friendship, closeness, and their way of transmitting that friend Christ, someone real, who does not leave us alone. Feeling that we have the mission to transmit Him to others through apostolate always filled me with hope.

How was the call that God made to you? Do you remember how and where you said ‘yes’?

How could I forget? For me, it was in a specific place and moment. At 12, I was taking an English test, and as I was thinking about how to respond, I looked out the classroom window and saw a Legionary brother walking down the hall. It was normal for them to pass by, but that day, a deep idea stayed in my mind and the big question: why not be like them? The impression was so strong that I literally told myself: “This is just one more test I will face in my life. If I decide to become a priest today, it will be for my whole life,” and immediately, I left the exam as it was (don’t ask me about the grade), and in the remaining time, I kept thinking about that possible call from God.

What does it mean for you to be a priest, religious, and Legionary of Christ? And a member of Regnum Christi?

Someone who knows how to transmit to others that friend Christ, close and at the same time, the sovereign King of all things. The priest, by mission, must have time to administer the sacraments, to pray, to advise, but this is difficult if he thinks he can do everything himself and that everything depends on him. A priest who works, who does a lot to make Christ reign among men, without neglecting time for prayer and being available to others. A priest who, despite having many things on his mind, can live peacefully, serenely, trusting in Providence, seeking the Kingdom of God and His justice. A priest who is where he should be, whatever his mission, responsible and attentive to how to help souls, no matter how hidden his office may be.

Let him be a man of contemplative life, because otherwise, he will hardly be able to lead others to what he himself does not live or have. Someone who reads the Gospel daily, meditates on it, studies it, and transmits it in preaching and daily life. A priest capable of spending hours in the Confessional helping people realize how much God loves them and how merciful He is. A priest willing to attend to spiritual direction for anyone in need, regardless of who they are; a priest capable of kneeling or sitting next to a beggar to greet him. Paraphrasing Pope Francis, a priest with “the smell of sheep.” To seek to go out of oneself, of one’s personal interests, of one’s “apostolic parcel,” to be attentive to all people.

One cannot run from one place to another giving the impression of “don’t bother me, I’m busy”; rather, take time to greet, stop, sit occasionally with different groups. The treatment among members of the Movement should be natural, not forced; there must be genuine and sincere closeness, sharing life with simple and human dealings. A priest who trains trainers and allows others to do so; laypeople are waiting for us to loosen the reins, we must send apostles, guide them to evangelize and carry out apostolates. It’s so rewarding when laypeople are involved!

What role has your family played in your vocation?

Fundamental. I have always had an impressive closeness with my family. I love them very much, and for me, it’s essential to feel them close and supporting me. The physical distance that this Legionary vocation entails has been a thorn in my side, but thank God, we have always been able to stay close through modern means of communication. They have supported me from the beginning; there was even a rejection when I wanted to enter the apostolic work at age 12, but I have always seen God in it, because He wanted me for the Student Center that was not yet founded in Chile. God had everything planned, and with that rejection, I realized that vocation is also for and through the family.

How is your prayer life? What does God tell you?

It’s a relationship of “you and me,” simple, without many complications. Jesus Christ is my friend, and therefore, I talk to Him in the Chapel, but also while walking, studying, eating, or doing sports. He is someone who is always by my side, so any comment or phrase directed to Him is already a prayer for me. What does He tell me? Well, it depends on the moment and the day, but something He repeats to me often is His love for me and for humanity, and how great His mercy is.

When you need to revisit an experience to hold on and deepen the vocation God has called you to, where do you go? (metaphorically, I mean).

To that English test and immediately after that class: the school chapel, where I left with a clear idea that God wanted me to be a priest.

When working with young people, as in your case, do you pray more? or differently? What do you ask of God?

As I mentioned above, I was coming from a not-so-pleasant situation in Rome, so it’s easy to say that I pray much more now. But despite that, yes, I pray, I ask God for each of the young people He has given me, I pray for their happiness, I pray for their families, I pray that they stay close to God, I pray that they find the true path where God wants to call them. My prayers are specific, with names and surnames, and offering Masses for them is a gift God gives me every day.

In your work, with the boys and girls of Regnum Christi in Valencia, what challenges do you find? What objectives have you set for yourself and them together?

First, not to stand out, to seek to be a beacon of light that leads them to Christ. I certainly have much to learn from the young people and from each member of Regnum Christi. I must seek to fall more and more in love with Christ so I can then transmit my love for Him to them. All this I see as a matter of time, naturally united to God’s Grace.

What objectives have I set and with them? Well, I want to help them become better, saints, apostles, and to feel Regnum Christi as a way of life; to love it, to dedicate themselves to their apostolates, to organize events together, apostolates, training days, everything to help us grow in our love for Christ, give glory to God, and transmit it to Him in the best way in this society.

There are many people who, even if they don’t know you personally, are subscribed to a monthly distribution group where you share the Pope’s audiences and main messages. How did this initiative start? How many people are on your distribution list? What do you offer specifically that they won’t find on the Holy See’s website or Vatican News?

I have been involved in this apostolate for years. In 2009 (when I started studying philosophy in the USA), seeking to keep my family and those getting to know me close, I prepared a monthly bulletin with photos of my activities and published an article on various topics. Later, that list grew because I saw it as positive for more people to benefit from knowing more about life in the seminary. When I arrived in Rome, in September 2013, I began including in that monthly bulletin a summary of Pope Francis’ Wednesday Audiences. What sets me apart from other publications? More than a summary, I send an anthology of texts, so people can read direct quotes from what the Pope is saying.

In August 2014, after my spiritual exercises for the month, I received God’s invitation not only to make a “summary” of the Wednesday audiences but of all the Pope’s speeches, and so in September 2014, I started sending separately the bulletin and the texts of the Pope. In April 2015, I began sending the Holy Father’s speeches every 10 days, and since then, I have aimed to send them punctually. Currently, about 1,700 people receive it directly from me, although I know some of them then forward it to others, so I cannot give an exact number.

Finally, the motivation for doing this is threefold: first, to increase my love for the teachings of the Holy Father. Second, to promote them, as the Constitutions of the Legion of Christ ask: “Adhere with filial love to the Roman Pontiff, study and disseminate his teachings, put into practice not only his mandates but also his orientations, promote his initiatives, and defend with courage the charisma of his primacy and magisterium” (CLC 14, no. 2). And the third motivation, which is also reflected in that same number: “Defend,” because many times some media take Pope’s phrases out of context, and reading everything helps me remember whether he said it or not, and helps many people who sometimes write to me to clarify doubts. I always ask them: “Did you read it in a headline or on the Vatican’s website?” and they are often surprised when I can send them the exact quote where it was taken out of context or, as has happened, the subsequent quote where the Pope explained himself better about what he had said earlier. It’s rare to see media retract or explain the context afterward.

(If you want to receive this summary, just subscribe at this link).

What would you highlight about Pope Francis? What have you discovered about him as you follow his thoughts, words, and speeches day by day?

His simplicity and closeness to people. A Pope who has become beloved simply by approaching everyone, without distinction. Sometimes we see him greeting in St. Peter’s Square, other times inside a prison, then with a president, or in the home of an emblematic person, or greeting the poor of Rome or the country he visits. A Pope who makes himself close to all, but at the same time, is capable of addressing profound topics clearly, bravely, and directly before important people or organizations, prompting reflection and involving laypeople, men and women, highlighting their important role in the Church.

Do you draw inspiration for your preaching and apostolate from the words of Pope Francis?

Yes, I often quote him in my preaching. I would certainly like to have more time to organize his speeches better to find phrases or themes; I’ve thought about it, but that remains a project, and if I have the time, I will do it someday.

Pim, pam, pum

• The past: is past and we learn from it.
• The present: opportunity and challenge.
• The future: hope to see Christ Reign more than before.
• The others: Christ
• Chile: great country.
• Valencia: RC Youth.
• The Fallas: unknown
• Laity: fundamental members of the Church.
• Communion: Christ Friend.
• Manage: order and transparency.
• APRA: springboard for apostles.
• Pope: smell of sheep.
• WhatsApp: closeness.
• Legionary of Christ: personal love for Christ.
• Consecrated: sister.
• Consecrated lay: companion.
• Jesus: the great Friend.
• Brothers: Titi, Nacho, and Benja, the best.
• A place in the world: Chile.
• Friendship: support of my vocation and my life.
• Pets: Larry and now Minnie.
• Fidelity: necessary.
• Getting up early: make the most of the time.
• Youth section: apostles of Christ.
• Work: responsibility.
• Church: laity, priests, and consecrated persons.
• COVID: challenge.
• Suffering: opportunity for love.
• Life: blessing.
• Apostolate: love and dedication to others.
• A song: Un amico è così.
• A book: the Bible.
• Your favorite