"Giving oneself out of love, placing one's life in God's hands and living entirely for others is what makes the life of a priest so attractive. This is how Edijael Souza Alves, a 3rd year student at licentiate degree Canon Law , responds when asked about his priestly vocation. He comes from Brazil, the country with the most Catholics in the world, and where Catholicism is perceived in the daily customs and traditions of the people. However, he assures that, although the issue of baptized is high, it is very important to continue with the work of evangelization. And he is working on it.

He discovered that God was calling him to the priesthood the day he received his First Holy Communion. His mother asked him, 'Son, have you never thought of becoming a priest?' That very day he felt God's call very strongly. "It's true that following a civil degree program and starting a family was a big dream, something I would have always considered as a child. But God had another dream for my life, and the greatest attraction was the experience of a great love that leads us to make radical decisions," he explains.

Edijael is the third in a Catholic family of four siblings. He has two older sisters and a younger brother. He says that when he told his parents of his decision to join seminar after finishing high school, his mother's eyes "sparkled with joy". But the news still took them by surprise and his father reacted with bewilderment.

"The priestly vocation is born from the heart of God. It is a gift, a great mystery. To respond to this call, one must look at life with the eyes of faith, because vocation is also a question of faith. Those who follow Jesus lose nothing, on the contrary, they gain everything," he says.

Once he made his decision, he entered the seminar Maria Mater Eccleisae in Brazil to study Philosophy, when he was 18 years old. Later he went to seminar St. John Mary Vianney, in the city of Campina Grande, to study theology. He defines his time in both seminaries as a "school of prayer, a gift from God and a time of great joy and grace". He also assures that the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in Brazil, in which he was able to participate, had a great impact on him: "It is a memory that is still very much alive in my report".

On July 6, 2013, he was ordained a priest in the City of Rubiataba and in August 2017, a little more than two years ago now, he "landed" in Pamplona, to study the licentiate degree of Canon Law. He has very good memories of his arrival: "My first impression was to be delighted by the good welcome I received. Although during the first months I missed my family and friends a lot, here I have always felt in a fraternal atmosphere". He also praises the beauty of the Library Services and the good study environment. Something that caught his attention from the moment he arrived.

He acknowledges that all the saints serve him as reference letter "they are like stars that illuminate my path to Heaven", and confesses that he often asks for the intercession of St. Anthony of Lisbon, St. Josemaría Escrivá, St. Therese of the Child Jesus and, in a special way, with the intercession of St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary.

Asked about his future plans, he replied that he only hopes that God will give him the grace to serve with joy, "wherever he may be, and that I will be happy serving wherever the Church sends me".