"The priest, a Christ present among men".
Constantino Anchel, from the Center programs of study Josemaría Escrivá, gives a lecture to the students of the Ecclesiastical Schools on "The priesthood and priests in the teachings and life of St. Josemaría" on the occasion of Founder's Week.
30 | 10 | 2025
As has become a tradition in the Ecclesiastical Schools , on the occasion of the Founder's Week organized by the University, the students of the three Schools (Theology, Canon Law y Ecclesiastical Philosophy) participated in a lecture focused on the priesthood of St. Josemaría, the first Chancellor the academic center. On this occasion it was position by the priest Constantino Anchel, of the Josémaría Escrivá Center programs of study at the University. of the University.
He recalled that St. Josemaría's decision to become a priest was born in 1917, when he contemplated the sacrifice of some barefoot Carmelites in the snow. "That scene awakened in him the desire to give himself completely to God," he explained, stressing that from a young age he sought the priesthood not as a degree program, but as a mission statement.
During his seminar years, St. Josemaría distinguished himself by his human and spiritual closeness. According to witnesses of the time, he sought to foster a life of piety among his companions and at the same time to soften disciplinary criteria with understanding and trust. "He had a high concept of priestly mission statement and spoke of the priesthood with such warmth that some said he was exaggerating," he said.
The session also highlighted the centrality of the celebration of the Eucharist in his life: St. Josemaría lived it intensely to the point of experiencing in it a true "divinework . This spirituality marked his way of relating to priests and laity, fostering deep friendships and encouraging everyone to raise their apostolic horizons. For him," the speakerconcluded speakerthe priest had to be above all an alter Christus, a Christ present among men.
