On Saturday, February 22, 2025, in the city of Curitiba, Brazil, Felipe Colodel, L.C., was ordained a priest. The ceremony took place in the Chapel of the Everest School of Curitiba and the ordaining bishop was Mons. Reginei José Modolo, auxiliary bishop of Curitiba.

Homily of Mons. Reginei and the Priestly Calling

During the homily, Mons. Reginei reminded those present that “every priest is taken from among the people and sent to the people, in service to God” and also spoke about the role of the family, which is “where a vocation is born and where it perseveres and bears fruit.”

At the end, he addressed the new priest directly, in light of the Gospel of the day about the Chair of Peter. “When we discover God’s plans, it is because we have already discovered who God is. When we discover who Jesus is, then God reveals to us who we are and what His plan is for us. Felipe, your experience with the Lord, the discovery of the greatness of His love, and the recognition of how much He has given for you, have allowed you to understand His plans and His will in your life. It is necessary to stay close to the One who has called us,” he emphasized.

Mons. Reginei reminded those present of the importance of prayer life for all states of life. “Whoever moves away from Jesus fails to understand God’s plans or to live in the grace of the call He makes to us,” he affirmed. Finally, he concluded with an invitation to the new priest: “Felipe, continue cultivating your prayer life so that you can understand, more and more, God’s plans for you.”

The Eucharistic celebration was attended by legionaries from various communities in Brazil. Also present were novices and postulants, as well as students from the Vocational Center of Curitiba (Apostolic). The consecrated members of the Regnum Christi and the lay members of Regnum Christi also attended, along with the family members of Father Felipe.

Father Felipe (right) together with Mons. Reginei José Modolo, auxiliary bishop of Curitiba.

First Mass with Family and the Tradition of the Faithful

On the 23rd, also in the Chapel of the Everest School and accompanied by the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Members of Regnum Christi, the lay members of Regnum Christi, friends, and family, Father Felipe celebrated his first Mass in a ceremony that moved everyone. That day, after the Mass, the guests kissed the hands of the new priest, a traditional gesture performed by the faithful to newly ordained priests.

Interview with Fr. Felipe Colodel: Vocation, Challenges, and Mission

1- After a long journey of formation within the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, he has been ordained a priest. How would you describe in words the feeling you carry in your heart at this moment?

R: I am deeply grateful to God. My feeling is one of full trust in His mercy and His call. Throughout this journey, I learned that Christ is the one steering the wheel of life, and with Him, I can be at peace because He always knows what is best for each soul. I have a deep hope in God’s grace, knowing that He will always be by my side.

2- What would you say to young people who feel this call to give their whole lives to Christ? How can they persevere, especially in current times?

R: A life dedicated to God is always worth it! God never ceases to be generous. He chooses us just as we are, which is the most beautiful part of any vocation. God wants to carry out His work of salvation in the world with our help, and we only need to trust in Him, for He will give us the graces necessary to fulfill this mission. Trust and humble prayer. God is our friend and is always with us at every moment of our lives. We must not be afraid to say “Yes” to God!

3- He entered the Apostolic Life at a very young age, at the age of the boys in ECyD. Today, he is the Director of ECyD in Brasília. How is it to work with teenagers and bring them the love of Jesus Christ?

R: It is a wonderful challenge because adolescence is the most beautiful and important moment of life: that of making great decisions. Accompanying the development of young people’s souls is an immense grace because we can see how God performs small miracles in each one’s life so they can choose the best path toward a holy and full life. When we see a young person who has a deep experience with Christ and His love, all we can do is thank God because we are certain that this soul has found the true source of happiness.

Learn about the trajectory of Fr. Felipe

Father Felipe Colodel, LC, was born on November 22, 1989, in Campo Largo, PR. He entered the novitiate in São Paulo on March 11, 2006. He made his first religious profession on February 24, 2008. He studied a year of Classical Humanities in Cheshire and obtained his degree in Philosophy at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum.

From 2011 to 2015, during his apostolic internship, he was a vocations promoter in Brazil and a member of the auxiliary team of ECyD in Joinville, Porto Alegre, and São Paulo. In 2015, he returned to Rome to begin his degree in Philosophy. In 2017, he made his perpetual profession, and in 2021, after completing Theology, he returned to Brazil to work in vocations promotion at the Curitiba Vocational Center.

He was ordained a deacon in 2024, in Curitiba, and then began his ministry in ECyD in Brasília and in the Pastoral team of the Everest School in Brasília. Currently, he is the Director of the male ECyD in Brasília.

With information from the Office of Communication of Brazil