Sodalitium Christianae Vitae has two new priests

Lima, July 26 - Two deacons of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae received the sacrament of orders on Tuesday, July 25, in a solemn Eucharist on the day in which the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saint James the Apostle.

The deacons, Marcio Paulo de Souza, Brazilian, 35,  and Gilmer Cacho, Peruvian, 34, received the priestly order from the hands of the Archbishop of Lima and Primate of Peru, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne. Bishop José Antonio Eguren, Archbishop elect of Piura, and numerous priests of the Sodalitium as well as diocesan priests concelebrated the Eucharist.

The Mass took place in Our Lady of Reconciliation church whose ample knave was completely filled with attendants, many of whom stood throughout the intense ceremony. Among those present to express their joy and thanks were the Founder and Superior General of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, Luis Fernando Figari and many of the members of the Sodalit Family, along with the parents, relatives and friends of the new priests.

During his homily Cardinal Cipriani encouraged the new priests to live a life given to evangelic service and to maintain an intense spiritual life, always living the virtue of humility. At the same time he asked them to give witness to Christ "in every moment." The priest, "configuring himself to Christ, has to make Christ present today," he underscored.

"Today's world needs all of us, especially priests - he said further on - to give it the certainty of faith, from which is derived the understanding of the profound meaning of human existence, the capacity to introduce a moral order in the life of individuals and human environments."

"Let us pray, there is much to do, the Lord blesses you, which is to say, `Lord, if you give me so much, what will you ask of me?` and to say: `here I am, because you called me,` with much peace, with much faith, with much hope, in order to fulfil this task which God wants through our gratitude," he said.

Sodalitium Christianae Vitae was founded in Lima, Peru and is in various countries in America and Europe. It was approbated as a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right by Pope John Paul II on July 8, 1997. It is a society made up of laymen and priests who work towards the evangelization of culture, in apostolate with youth and families and in solidarity with the poor.