Vocations

Alder, Nicaraguan seminarian: "The Pope asked us to be courageous".

Alder Harol Alvarez Maltez is a 23-year-old seminarian from Nicaragua who resides at the Bidasoa International Seminary and studies at the University of Navarra. He comes from a Catholic family and has a younger sister.

Sponsored space-July 29, 2022-Reading time: 2 minutes

Alder at a meeting with Pope Francis

Thanks to a grant from the Roman Academic Center Foundation (CARF), he was able to study at the Catholic University Redemptoris Mater (Unica), the degree in International Relations and International Trade and graduated in 2019 with good academic results. However, the vocation to the priesthood has always been a constant within him, a seed that grew little by little.  

The turning point was in 2019 during the XI International Youth Forum, organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

"The participants in this meeting had the opportunity to listen to the Holy Father, and in his words the Pope asked us to be courageous and, without fear, to give ourselves to the service of the Lord. Those words were the final impetus that motivated me to take the definitive step to enter the Seminary and leave my professional career," says Alder.

His bishop sent him to Bidasoa. "There is a wonderful richness in this Seminar. Living with seminarians from different countries is an enriching experience for my spiritual, intellectual and cultural formation. For this reason, I would like to thank the benefactors for the great support they give us. Rest assured that you are always in our prayers, and that everything you do will be put to good use for the evangelizing mission of the Church".

Alder, concerned about his country, explains that Nicaragua needs priests who are firmly committed to the evangelizing mission of the Church. Pastors who, with courage and love, proclaim Christ's message of salvation and who, attached to the truth, defend what is just in the face of injustice.

"Following the example given to us by the bishops, the entire Nicaraguan Church must place itself at the service of the needs of the people, knowing how to suffer with the people and accompanying them in important and difficult moments. Poverty, inequality and the lack of individual and collective freedoms are some of the great social challenges of the country", he concludes. 

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