| Brother Lorenzo Garcia is on a journey. It has brought him into
situations he could not have imagined just ten years ago. It has
deepened his faith in God beyond his wildest dreams. As he relates
a bit about his journey, he is aware that in his story has also
intertwined the history of his beloved Mexican people. "In the
quest for meaning in my life," he says, "I joined the Missionary
Servants of the Most Holy Trinity in Mexico City in mid 1987.
Jesus was calling me to be with Him and I wanted to know Him.
This was how our friendship began. With the passage of time, and
thanks to His understanding and love, something indestructible
slowly began to grow between the two of us." Eventually, Brother
Lorenzo realized that God was calling him specifically to be a
religious Brother. As he recalls, "I felt called to serve Jesus in
the poorest and most abandoned people in this world. Then I
was scared, but He got close once more to soothe my fear and,
accepting my limitations, I decided to follow Him." Brother
Lorenzo's response was swift and generous. He recalls his year of
apostolic service in Chiapas, a desperately poor state in Mexico:
"With the love of Jesus on my back as my only luggage, I arrived
in Chiapas to work within the indigenous population. The
experience of serving those native people changed my life and
filled my vocation with new meaning. "The Mexican indigenous
people began in me a serious conversion process. They challenged
my life and my faith one thousand times, and returned my life and
faith to me in a more renewed and full manner. They opened my
eyes to show me the reality of poverty and hunger that my country
is living. I felt conflict within myself about the situation. But I
never felt alone during this time. Jesus had given me brothers who
were 'road and luggage companions,' men with vision and
commitment who were, and will continue to be, a hopeful light in
this trip." The journey Brother Lorenzo began in 1987 is not
finished. In Ixtapalapa, he again found his faith deepened by the
poor he serves. He remarked, "Once again I was being evangelized
by a countless number of persons who, in seeking better living
circumstances, have left their countries to settle in the 'poverty
belts' that surround Mexico City. The experience is new, but the
conditions in general are the same: A few people have too much
and live comfortably; many others have little and miserably
survive." Brother Lorenzo is grateful for the opportunity to serve
the poor and abandoned in Mexico. "They teach me so much," he
says. "With their lives and testimonies, they continue to
nurture that small flame that Jesus sparked in me one day.
Their poverty challenges the authenticity of my love; their
struggle nourishes my Christian vocation and gives commitment to it; their hopeful suffering constantly reveals to me
the true face of God." Today he brings his experience with the
poor and shares it with our Novices as the Associate Director of
the Novitiate in Mexico.
|
Born:
December 3, 1961
Hometown:
born in Ixtlahuaca Mexico but moved to Tula in the State of Hidalgo as a
youngster.
Education:
Graduated from Preparatory
School in Tula; earned a university degree in Veterinary Medicine Studied
Philosophy and Theology at the Intercontinental University in Mexico City.
Religious Life:
Spent one year at Trinity Missions House of Studies in Mexico and one year
of apostolic work in strive ridden Chiapas before entering Novitiate in
1989. Professed Perpetual Vows as a Trinity Missionary Brother on September
11, 1993.
Mission Assignments:
After Novitiate Brother Lorenzo pursued Theological studies in Mexico City.
Brother Lorenzo is currently Assistant Novice Director at our Novitiate
in Mexico |
