I met Fr Alvaro for the first time on November 13, 2006. I still remember the exact date because that day was the 2nd anniversary of my incorporation to Regnum Christi. I was a first year novice at that time and Fr Alvaro was visiting our novitiate in São Paulo, Brazil. At the end of the visit, I told him “Fr Alvaro, today is a very special day to me. Two years ago I became a Regnum Christi member”. He winked and said smiling “I know, that is why I came to Brazil”.
I will always remember Fr Alvaro as a man who lived the Gospel and transmitted the joy of God’s presence to everyone else around him. His example was so important to me when I was in the initial stage of the discernment of my vocation. It was really challenging to be away from my family and friends, and to leave my plans behind. Fr Alvaro gave me a lot of confidence to carry on and trust in Jesus. He would always talk about the friendship with Christ and remind us that Heaven is our final destination.
Fr Alvaro was salt and light in the lives of so many people, he was truly a friend of Jesus. Today we thank God for the gift of his life and priesthood.
