The Order of Augustinian Recollects joyfully celebrated the priestly ordination of Friar Carlos Jesús Riera Figueroa, held on December 6 in the city of Barquisimeto (Lara State, Venezuela), within the framework of the commemoration of the 437 years of the Augustinian Recollection.
The Eucharist was presided over by Mons. Carlos Curiel , bishop of Carora—the new priest’s homeland—, who conferred the ordination through the laying on of hands and the consecratory prayer, a central gesture that introduces one to the presbyteral order and expresses the apostolic continuity of the Church.
A yes that is born of grace and fidelity
For Friar Carlos, reaching this moment means “reaffirming my vocation and my commitment to the Church, to God, and to the people whom the Lord entrusts to me”. He experiences it as an undeserved gift and, at the same time, as a received mission: “It is the grace of God that acts in our lives to be able to carry out this beautiful mission.”
The new priest describes his path as a journey marked by perseverance and prayer. In his words, it has been a process sustained by daily fidelity: “Prayer is what sustains us to continue walking towards where God calls us each day.”
Among the most significant experiences of his formation, he especially remembers his novitiate in Monteagudo (Spain), where cultural and community diversity taught him the universal heart of religious life: “Being an Augustinian Recollect goes beyond a culture or a vicariate. It is living community life where God puts us and where He needs us”.
The priesthood from the Augustinian Recollect charism
Friar Carlos understands his ministry as a prolongation of the yes he gave when embracing the consecrated life: “The priesthood is that plus that configures you more to Christ to shepherd the flock that is entrusted to you”. From this perspective, he assumes the mission of being a bridge for grace: “May that sacramental grace be shared and poured out on the people He entrusts to us.”
In this step, he especially recognizes two traits of Saint Augustine: humility and radical trust in God. “Grant what you command, and command what you will”, he quotes. “I could not live any of this without the grace of God. I am ordained not because I am worthy, but because He called me; in that call I discover my rest and my strength”.
A priest to open doors and sow hope
The new presbyter expresses his pastoral desire with clarity: “To transmit that God is not an abstract idea, but a living presence that heals, accompanies, and transforms”. He dreams of being a priest who opens doors, heals wounds, and reminds each person of the infinite value of their life.
His request at the beginning of this ministry is simple and profound: “Fidelity, not a rigid fidelity, but an enamored one. May I never get used to grace”.
To young people with vocational concerns, he directs a courageous and luminous invitation: “Do not be afraid. God never calls to take away, but to fulfill. Vocation is not a renunciation, it is a revelation”. He encourages them not to extinguish their restlessness, to allow themselves to be accompanied, and to allow themselves to be looked at by Christ: “When one dares to say yes, even trembling, the true adventure begins.”
