On Tuesday, April 19, 2022, Fr. John Connor, LC, General Director of the Legionaries of Christ, announced the appointment of Fr. Carlos Ortiz Alzate, LC, as Territorial Director of the Legionaries of Christ in the territory of Colombia-Venezuela, for a period of three years.

In the same letter, the appointment of Fr. Juan Carlos Quintero Martínez, LC, as Territorial Vicar is announced, as well as the designation of the other members of the territorial council: Fr. Pedro Guzmán Lupercio, LC, Fr. Josef James Hare, LC, and Fr. Ignacio Jordán, LC. The new territorial government will begin its three-year term on June 1, 2022.

In his communication, Fr. John thanks Fr. Carlos Gutiérrez, LC, for the work carried out, who will remain in the territory until mid-June, when he will travel to Monterrey to assume his new mission as Territorial Director of the Legionaries of Christ of Northern Mexico. Likewise, he thanks Fr. Leonardo Pérez Castilla, who concludes his term as Territorial Counselor of the territory.

Fr. Carlos Ortiz Alzate, LC

Fr. Carlos Ortiz was born in Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia, on October 18, 1978. He entered the vocational center of Rionegro in November 1995. He entered the novitiate in February 1997 in Medellín, Colombia. He took his first religious vows in February 1999. He studied classical humanities in Salamanca, Spain. He made his perpetual profession on February 27, 2005. He holds a bachelor’s degree in theology and a licentiate in philosophy from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He was ordained a priest on December 12, 2011.

Since 2011, he has been a vocations promoter in Medellín and the Coffee Axis and, in 2016, he carried out this work in Bogotá, Colombia. During these years, he was also superior of the apostolate community of Medellín (2012-2016) and superior of the apostolate community of Bogotá (2016-2017). From 2016 to 2019, he was a member of the Territorial Steering Committee of Regnum Christi for Colombia-Venezuela. Since 2019, he has been superior of the apostolate community of Altamira, Rionegro, and an instructor of novices at the same location.

He has been a member of the Territorial Council of the Legionaries of Christ of Colombia-Venezuela for two terms: from 2015 to 2018 and since April 2021 to the present.

Territorial Council of the Venezuela-Colombia territory for the three-year term

Fr. Juan Carlos Quintero Martínez, LC – First Counselor and Territorial Vicar

Fr. Juan Carlos Quintero Martínez was born on September 9, 1980, in El Carmen de Viboral, Antioquia, Colombia. He joined the Legion of Christ in 2004. He studied human sciences in Salamanca, Spain, and later completed apostolic practices in Caracas and Barquisimeto, Venezuela, with young people. His philosophy and theology studies were carried out at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, Italy. In December 2015, he was ordained a priest, and since then, he has developed his ministry in Colombia, mainly in youth pastoral work, as director of formation and director of the Cumbres Medellín School (2015-2020), and as local director of Medellín and the Coffee Axis. From 2018 to 2021, he was a territorial counselor of the Legionaries of Christ in Colombia-Venezuela.

Fr. Pedro Guzmán, LC – Territorial Counselor

Fr. Pedro Guzmán Lupercio was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, on July 30, 1980. He entered the vocational center of Guadalajara in July 1992. He entered the novitiate in Monterrey in September 1996. He took his first religious vows in August 1998. He studied classical humanities in Salamanca, Spain. He holds a licentiate in philosophy from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. From August 2001 to July 2004, he carried out apostolic practices as a novice assistant in Medellín, Colombia. He made his perpetual profession on October 3, 2004. He was ordained a priest on December 24, 2010. From 2010 to 2017, he was an instructor of novices in the Colombia-Venezuela territory. Since 2017, he has been director of the Highlands School Quito in Ecuador. He has been a territorial counselor of the Legionaries of Christ in Colombia-Venezuela since 2018.

Fr. Josef Hare, LC – Territorial Counselor

Fr. Josef James Hare was born on October 31, 1981, in San Diego, California, United States. In September 1999, he entered the Novitiate in Cheshire, United States, where he made his first profession in September 2001 and perpetual profession on September 1, 2007. He studied classical humanities in Cheshire, United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree in theology and a licentiate in philosophy from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum.

He was ordained a priest on December 14, 2013. From 2016 to 2019, he was director of the Cumbres Institute of Caracas, Venezuela. Since 2019, he has been director of the Cumbres School Bogotá, Colombia. He has been a territorial counselor of the Legionaries of Christ in Colombia-Venezuela since 2018.

Fr. Ignacio Jordán, LC – Territorial Counselor

Fr. Ignacio Jordán was born in Barcelona, Spain. As a teenager, he was a member of the ECYD, later joining Regnum Christi. At 19, he entered the Legion of Christ novitiate in Salamanca, Spain, in 1984. From 1987 to 1989, he collaborated as a formation instructor during the early days of the Cumbres Institute of Caracas, Venezuela, and later in Santiago de Chile in various roles.

After completing his studies in philosophy and theology, he was ordained a priest on December 22, 2001. He served as a formator of the Consecrated Laity of Regnum Christi in Mexico and later carried out his priestly ministry with Regnum Christi in Caracas, Venezuela. From 2006 to 2016, he was director of the Cumbres Institute of Caracas. Since February 2016, he has been carrying out his pastoral mission at the formation centers of the Legionaries of Christ in Venezuela.