I was born at Gutiérrez (Cund.) on February 17, 1943, to the late Antonio Hernández and Leonilde Castro. 

I underwent vocational discernment accompanied by my parents and the parish priest who played a decisive part, and having come to know about the Order through friends, who told me about the care given to the sick and needy, I applied to become an aspirant in 1959 in the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Psychiatric Hospital at Sibaté (Cund.), for the Postulancy, Novitiate and Scholasticate, where I learnt about and received my Formation in the manner of St John of God, in prayer, fraternal life, common life, following the programme of study laid down for these periods of Formation, in addition to my direct experience of serving the sick as part of the apostolate.

Through my words and deeds of profound understanding and humility (Lk 4, 38) I have tried to suffer with the suffering; I identify with the poor, the sick and the needy. Attracted by the man, Jesus, and his work, and anointed by the Holy Spirit I consecrated myself to God to fulfil Christ’s command: Heal the sick (Mt 10, 7-8).