At the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in the Galilee, the Church in the Holy Land rejoiced as four young men — David Sotgiu (Italy), Adolfo Rene de León Salguero (Guatemala), Francisco Hurtado Cárdenas (Colombia), and José Pablo Morera Mesén (Costa Rica) — were ordained deacons on November 9, 2025, by His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The solemn celebration, concelebrated by Msgr. Rafiq Nahra, Patriarchal Vicar in Galilee, and Fr. Juan Manuel Silva López, Rector of the Seminary, gathered numerous priests of the Neocatechumenal Way, together with families, friends, and faithful — many of whom joined in prayer online.

As the four candidates knelt to profess their promises of celibacy, prayer, and obedience, emotion filled the seminary church. Tears of gratitude marked the moment of their investiture as they turned toward the congregation, faces radiant with joy. It was both an ending and a beginning — the start of their service as deacons in the Diocese of the Holy Land, becoming channels of the living water flowing from the heart of God into His people.

Recalling the words of Cardinal Pizzaballa on the reading from Ezekiel, they are called to be that river of life that cuts through salty, barren waters, yet brings with it the presence of God, turning desolation into a place rich with fruit.

They come from different countries and cultures, yet their stories share a single thread — the discovery of God’s mercy and the desire to offer their lives entirely to Him.

Four men, four stories — united by the same encounter with God’s mercy. Their journey reminds us that vocation is not an escape from the world, but a call to transform it with love, supported by the families and communities that help us discern God’s will.

From Colombia to Costa Rica, from Italy to Guatemala, their journeys converge in the Holy Land, where they now begin their ministry as deacons and continue their journey towards priesthood.