Josemaría arrived in Logroño with his family when he was 13 years old. Adapting to a new school and city was difficult for everyone, especially given the severe economic hardship the Escrivá family faced. But it was in Logroño where Josemaría felt a special call from God and decided to study at the seminary to become a priest. He attended the seminary in Logroño and later in Zaragoza. Finally, he was ordained a priest on March 28, 1925, at the age of 23.
Alongside the joy of Josemaría's vocation, the Escrivá family experienced two significant events: the birth of Santiago, the youngest child, in February 1919, and the death of Don José in November 1924. At 22, the young priest, who had also studied for a law degree simultaneously, became responsible for supporting his mother and siblings.
Doña Dolores, with Carmen and Josemaría, arrived in Logroño in early September 1915, where Don José had been working for several months. They settled in a rented apartment on the fourth floor of a building on Sagasta Street.
Logroño was a city of 25,000 inhabitants (Madrid at that time had around 775,000). Its economy was bolstered by extensive vineyards and olive groves, cereal fields, fruits, and vegetables. Here, the Escrivá family started a new chapter in their history from scratch. It was difficult since they had no close relatives or friends to turn to. However, they gradually adapted to their situation.
For Josemaría, at 13 years old, this situation was particularly challenging. It was not easy to leave his friends in Barbastro and join the Logroño Institute to complete the remaining three years of high school. Nevertheless, he gradually made new friends, some of whom would remain lifelong companions, like Isidoro Zorzano (remember this name, as it will be important later).
Most students at the Institute attended a private school in the afternoons to review their studies. Josemaría attended the Institute in the mornings and the San Antonio School in the afternoons, where he also took classes in Calligraphy, Drawing, French, English, German, and colloquial Arabic. Meanwhile, his older sister enrolled in the Normal School for Teachers.
Carmen and Josemaría, although experiencing their family's poverty, would perhaps take many years to appreciate their parents' heroic efforts to face the situation with serenity and joy. "On the other hand, my parents, my quietly heroic parents, are my great pride," Josemaría would say years later. Doña Dolores became an expert in "multiplying" money for household needs; Don José discreetly skipped meals, taking a candy to entertain his stomach.
For the teenage Josemaría, these things were embarrassing and made him suffer. However, little by little, inspired by his parents' love and example, he found a supernatural meaning in these great trials permitted by God. "The Lord," he would later say, "was preparing things, giving me grace after grace, overlooking my faults, my childhood mistakes, and my adolescent mistakes."
Around 1917, Josemaría was already considering which university career to pursue. He thought about Architecture, Literature, and Law, the latter especially encouraged by his father. He had great professional aspirations, typical of youth, and many doubts about how to make that choice. The resolution came unexpectedly during the winter of that same year, just before Josemaría turned 16.
On a cold day, with snow covering the streets of Logroño, Josemaría noticed the footprints of bare feet. Surprised, he leaned over them, and a thought came to his mind: "If others make so many sacrifices for God and their neighbor, won't I be able to offer something?"
This simple question ignited a strong restlessness in his soul. He realized that God was asking something of him. What was it? The months passed slowly, and the teenager continued his studies, repeating with faith: Lord, that I may see.
This inner seed led him to make a resolution: to become a priest, so he could be more available to do whatever God asked of him, even though he did not yet know what it was. Decided, he went to tell Don José. It was "the only time I saw my father cry." The family's economic situation was very difficult, and the father had placed his hopes on his young son to help with new income. Therefore, this initial reaction is understandable, so human, so natural. And then, unconditional support: "I will not oppose it."
Thus, Josemaría entered the Logroño Seminary at the age of 16 in the fall of 1918. Since his family lived in the city, like other seminarians in the same situation, he ate and slept at home, although he spent the rest of the day at the seminary.
One afternoon, Doña Dolores shared unexpected news with Carmen and Josemaría: she was pregnant. Josemaría then remembered that, shortly after deciding to become a priest, he had asked God for his parents to have another son, who could support the family in his place. Santiago was born on February 28, 1919, and was baptized two days later, with Carmen and Josemaría as godparents.
In 1920, on Don José's advice, Josemaría transferred to the San Carlos Seminary in Zaragoza, which had both a Pontifical University and a Civil University. In the latter, he could study Law, as his father had suggested.
Zaragoza is 170 kilometers from Logroño. For Josemaría, these years were a new challenge of perseverance in his vocation. He missed the warmth of his home, especially after so many years of closeness with his parents, Carmen, and little Santiago. He also developed a greater love for reading, particularly enjoying the writings of Saint Teresa. He frequently visited the Basilica of El Pilar, where he asked the Virgin to help him see what God wanted from him: "That I may be what God wants me to be."
On November 27, 1924, when Josemaría was a few months away from being ordained a priest, he had to rush to Logroño. Don José, his father, passed away suddenly that same day, the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. "My father died exhausted. He had a smile on his lips and a particular charm. I saw him suffer with joy, without showing his suffering. And I saw a bravery that was a lesson for me because I often felt like the ground was slipping away and the sky was falling on me." Overnight, Josemaría became responsible for financially supporting his mother, Carmen, and young Santiago. He was just 22 years old.
On Saturday, March 28, 1925, Josemaría was ordained a priest. His first Mass, celebrated the following Monday, was offered for his father's soul in the Chapel of El Pilar in Zaragoza. His mother and siblings, as well as a few family friends, were present. Doña Dolores wept while attentively following her son's words as a priest. Josemaría would remember that Mass with a bittersweet tone, mixing immense joy with the sorrow of his father's absence, who had supported him so much.
His first assignment as a priest took him to the parish of Perdiguera, a small village 25 km from Zaragoza. Although his stay there was very brief (barely two months), the contact with simple people became a source of spiritual wealth that he cherished forever, especially the hours dedicated to teaching catechism to the children. "They did me immense good, immense, immense! How fondly I remember that!"
In May of that year, he returned to Zaragoza, where he served as chaplain of the church of San Pedro Nolasco until March 1927.
The young priest, in addition to his duties as chaplain, continued studying Law at the University of Zaragoza, where he quickly reunited with old friends and made new ones. He finally graduated in Law in January 1927 and, in March 1928, with his bishop's permission, moved to Madrid to pursue a doctorate in Law. Josemaría was 25 years old.