The priesthood and prayer for priestly vocations will be the focus of the events commemorating the centenary of St. Josemaría Escrivá’s priestly ordination, which will take place in Zaragoza on March 27 and 28.

Juan Herráiz, of the Alacet Priestly Library, the organizer of the events, emphasizes that “we want to remember St. Josemaría’s dedication and fidelity to his priestly vocation and ask the Lord to call many young men to the priesthood.”

Among other speakers will be Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, the Archbishop of Zaragoza, Carlos Escribano, the Prelate of Opus Dei, Fernando Ocáriz, and the historian José Luis González Gullón.

For their part, three priests will share their experiences in very different places. They are Esteban Aranaz, a priest of the Diocese of Tarazona and a missionary in China; Jorge de Salas, from Zaragoza, a member of the Opus Dei Prelature, resident in Sweden and judicial vicar of the Diocese of Stockholm; and Antonio Cobo, from the Diocese of Almería in the Alpujarra.

Prayer Vigil

Thursday the 27th will include a prayer vigil for priestly vocations in the church of the Royal Seminary of San Carlos Borromeo, especially for seminarians, young people, and families.

In this same church, a Mass for the fruits of priestly holiness will be celebrated on March 28th, the central day of the commemoration. The CARF Foundation is collaborating with the program.

Juan Herráiz explains that through commemorative prayer cards, we will pray that “holy and abundant vocations may reach the seminaries; and that all priests may live their ministry with a desire for holiness and be authentic pastors, close to God, their bishop, their brother priests, and the people of God.”

Furthermore, the parish of Perdiguera has organized an event on Sunday the 30th in memory of St. Josemaría’s first steps in the exercise of his ministry. After the Mass, the plaza of Father Josemaría Escrivá will be inaugurated, and there will be a roundtable discussion on Perdiguera’s legacy in the message of St. Josemaría.

Closely linked to Zaragoza

Saint Josemaría’s life is closely linked to Zaragoza, where he lived at the San Carlos Seminary from 1920 to 1925 and was a student at the Pontifical University. He received the tonsure in the chapel of the Archbishop’s Palace and earned a law degree from the University of Zaragoza between 1924 and 1927. In 1960, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Zaragoza. He had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Pilar, and celebrated his first Mass in her chapel. He was a teacher at the Amado Institute, a chaplain at San Pedro Nolasco, and an Auxiliary Regent at Perdiguera and Fombuena. His mother and siblings lived in successive apartments on Rufas, San Miguel, and Urrea Streets. www.ordenacionsanjosemaria.es

Exaudi interviewed Don Jorge de Salas Murillo and Don Esteban Aranaz:

Don Jorge de Salas Murillo was born in Zaragoza on November 14, 1958. He has been a priest since 1983 and has worked in Stockholm since 1985. He holds a Doctorate in Canon Law and is currently Judicial Vicar and Episcopal Vicar for Legal Affairs for the Diocese of Stockholm. Furthermore, he was Pope Francis’ translator during his visit to Sweden in 2016. Likewise, he is also Archpriest of Stockholm and Moderator of the Presbyteral Council.

He is the third of seven siblings, many of whom are jurists or hold prominent positions in areas such as human rights, property, history, and religious life. His father, Carlos, was a General of the General Staff of the Fifth Military Region. He studied law at the University of Zaragoza and the Central University of Barcelona, ​​and combined these studies with philosophy and theology in Rome, where he was ordained a priest by Pope John Paul II in 1983.

In Stockholm, he has worked as a chaplain and religion teacher, and since 1988 has held various positions in the ecclesiastical court, serving as Judicial Vicar since 1991.

How has your training in Canon Law influenced your work as Judicial Vicar and Episcopal Vicar for Legal Matters in the Diocese of Stockholm?

Training as a canon lawyer is essential to being able to carry out these tasks. It is always a service to the truth and a service to souls. Canon Law, the Law of the Church, has this dual foundation, always looking to the most important law in the Church, which is the *salvation of souls*. I studied Canon Law at the University of Navarra and was very fortunate to have great teachers: Hervada, de Fuenmayor, Viladrich, de Diego, … just to name a few. This training, along with five years of studying civil law in Zaragoza and Barcelona, ​​has provided me with a solid legal foundation for this important work in the Church.

What memories do you have of your participation as Pope Francis’s translator on his trip to Sweden in 2016 for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation?

They were some of the most intense and beautiful days of my life. I was incredibly nervous, but as soon as I saw Pope Francis get off the plane, all my nerves subsided, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Pope Francis has an extraordinary friendliness and good humor. I became good friends with the Pope, with whom I was able to discuss many things at length. I was able to meet with him several times afterward in Rome. Over the past few weeks, we have all been worried about his health, and now is an important time to continue praying because he is weak and must continue to lead the government of the Church.

From your experience as a priest in Sweden, what do you consider to be the greatest challenges and opportunities for evangelization in the country?

We have every imaginable and unimaginable challenge, but we also have every opportunity, thank God. Sweden is a great country; It is now my new homeland, where I have lived and worked for forty years. It is wonderful to see how the Holy Spirit moves so many souls in the Nordic countries. The Bishop of Stockholm, Msgr. Anders Arborelius, has been a cardinal for several years. I think he would be a worthy successor to Saint Peter in his chair in Rome.

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Fr. Esteban Aranaz, an Aragonese priest born in Calatayud in 1968, is incardinated in the Diocese of Tarazona and has been carrying out his pastoral work in Asia for over 22 years. After seven years in Taiwan, he spent almost ten years in Shanghai. He studied at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra and obtained a Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome in 2012. His thesis focused on episcopal communion in Benedict XVI’s Letter to the Church in China.

Before his mission in China, he was Rector of the Major Seminary, Director of the Tarazona Theological Institute, and Vicar General and Pastoral Minister in his diocese. Currently, he serves the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Catholic communities in Shanghai and the Yiwu community in Zhejiang, traveling monthly to Beijing for other pastoral work and youth retreats. He speaks Mandarin and seven other languages. He is also the organist at St. Ignatius Cathedral in Shanghai and has a great passion for art and music.

What do you consider essential for authentic and lasting spiritual renewal in times of crisis?

I believe the key lies in the conversion of heart. Superficial changes or responding to momentary crises are not enough; rather, a deep commitment to faith, prayer, and community is necessary. The Church offers us tools, such as the Eucharist and sacramental life, which help us sustain this renewal over time.

What do you think is the greatest challenge for Christians in China today?

The main challenge is the coexistence between faith and the restrictions of the environment. Christians in China live in constant tension between their religious identity and the limitations imposed by the social and political context. Despite this, faith remains alive thanks to the resilience of communities, which find creative ways to live the Gospel.

How can a person cultivate a deeper and more authentic love in their daily lives?

Authentic love requires dedication and sacrifice. It is not just about fleeting feelings or emotions, but about daily decisions that reflect the love of Christ. The key lies in small gestures: listening patiently, forgiving, being generous, and always seeking the good of others. When love is experienced as a gift, it transforms not only the person who gives it, but also those who receive it.

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March 28th marks the 100th anniversary of Saint Josemaría’s priestly ordination in Zaragoza.

To commemorate this special anniversary, several events have been organized in Zaragoza, Rome, Logroño, and Perdiguera, Saint Josemaría’s first priestly assignment.

On Thursday the 27th, an academic event will be held in Zaragoza with several lectures and roundtable discussions featuring the Archbishop of Zaragoza, Msgr. Carlos Escribano; Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy; and the Prelate of Opus Dei, among others.

On Friday the 28th, the anniversary, Bishop Fernando Ocáriz will hold several meetings with people and friends of Opus Dei and a commemorative Mass at the seminary where Saint Josemaría studied and was ordained.

🔍 The Josemaría Escrivá Study Center (CEJE) has prepared a multimedia presentation on this centennial with interactive tools, explanatory videos, and articles written by various historians.

In addition, commemorative holy cards have been published containing a prayer for priests. You can download and share them in up to 13 languages.