Javier del Castillo, a 29-year-old electrical engineer, was born in Mexico. As he prepared for ordination, Javier saw the priesthood in a new light: “It is hard to realize that God is so active in the priest, who serves as an instrument in his hands. John Paul II used to exhort us to seek the face of Christ. That is exactly what people look for when they see a priest, which means that he needs to be very closely united to Christ, giving himself exclusively to God.”

Pablo Andrés Quintero studied information science in Medellín and Bogotá, Colombia. Since boyhood he aspired to be a great athlete and even an Olympian. He won an international youth championship in triathlon and several national competitions. “The training was very demanding since triathlon requires competence in three sports—swimming, cycling, and running. I decided to leave it behind because it would take too much time from my university studies.”

Pablo believes that the Holy Spirit “breathes hard” at an ordination and “pours out his grace not only on the priests but also their families and friends so as to bring them closer to God.” The news of his ordination “impressed many of my classmates and the teammates with whom I had spent so many hours in training. Right away they sent congratulations and assured me of their prayers.”

Among the families and friends who are expected in Rome for the ordination is a co-worker of Javier del Castillo, a Jewish man who escaped from his native Russia in the 1970s. “As a mechanical engineer, he worked with me in designing hand-held computers for businesses, primarily those engaged in transportation and supermarketing. It gives me great joy to know that my friend will be with me in Rome on such an important occasion.”

The ordination class of 42 includes 28 Europeans (Spanish, Italian, French, German, Portuguese), 11 from the Americas (including several Latin American countries), 2 Asians (Filipinos), and 1 African (Nigerian). They range in age from 27 (Pablo’s age) to 48.