On Saturday, August 29th, Mons. Salvador González Morales, auxiliary bishop, moderator, and vicar general of the Archdiocese of Mexico, ordained seven priests and eight deacons of the Legion of Christ at the distinguished and national Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe. The Holy Mass was concelebrated by sixty Legion of Christ members, including the territorial director of Mexico and Central America, P. Alberto Simán, LC.
In previous years, it was in the city of Rome where all the Legionaries gathered to be ordained priests, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided that this year each one would be ordained in their country of origin or destination. Due to health regulations, only the closest family members of those being ordained attended the ordination, along with some lay consecrated persons and consecrated members of the Regnum Christi. The celebration was broadcast live from the official page of the Basilica of Guadalupe, through Catholic.net and the Legion of Christ Facebook page of the Mexico territory.
Mons. Salvador González stated in his homily that: “God’s love is something concrete and serious that excludes no one; Jesus commands us to live a love with Him as the model.” He added that religious life “is a very special gift from the Spirit that requires us to be faithful witnesses of holiness for the church and for the world.”
https://soundcloud.com/somosrc/homilia-mons-salvador-gonzalez-morales-ordenaciones-sacerdotales-y-diaconales-cdmx-2020
He said that as priests and deacons, they must be one body with others and with the diocesan communities where their apostolic work is rooted, and that their primary mission will be to work and pray for their people.
He concluded by recalling Mary’s role as an example of dedication and guidance: “Do not stop turning to Mary. She will be your teacher and your companion; she as mother and you as parents and pastors. She will help you live in purity. As she did, we can say ‘Let it be done to me according to your word’.”
During the ordination rite, after the laying on of hands and anointing with the Holy Chrism for those being ordained, the parents of each deacon and priest came up to the altar to vest them with their new garments.
At the end of the celebration, Father Alberto Simán, LC, thanked Mons. González for ordaining seven priests and nine deacons, as it is a very special gift they received that day. He mentioned that when he was a formator at the seminary, he had several of them as students, and it is a pride to see them now being ordained.
During these days, the new priests and deacons will spend time with their families and later will join their new assignments to work in evangelization, formation, education, and social work in Mexico and Central America.
The seven newly ordained Legionary priests are: Joaquín Saínz (from Puebla), Juan Pablo González (from Guanajuato), Emmanuel Ortiz (from Mexico City), Rodolfo Jiménez (from Tlaxcala), José Enrique Anaya (from Michoacán), Santiago Mejía (from Colombia), and Luis Felipe Guzmán (from Michoacán).
The eight Legionaries who received the diaconal ordination are: Stefan Wise (from Australia), Daniel Preciado (from Veracruz), César Fernández (from Hidalgo), Ernesto Simroth (from Querétaro), René Gómez (from Oaxaca), Eduardo González (from Durango), Diego Trillas (from Mexico City), and Alejandro de la Garza (from Monterrey).
