My hospitaller vocation is due in large part to the fact my parents’ house was close to the Order’s House in in Barcelos (Northern Portugal). We knew that the Fatebenefratelli brothers were truly religious, holding daily masses open to the public, wearing monastic habits, reciting the divine office and the Litanies to the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays – in short, they were and looked like men of God.

Since they took care of mental patients I started to see the Order as something spiritual and social. I thought the Brothers loved God and their neighbours as they loved themselves.

I always liked to go to Mass at the parish church and my parents told me that when I came back home I could repeat the whole sermon and imitate the priest’s voice as well.  That was when I was five or six. In 1954 I went to the Apostolic School and made my first Profession of Faith in 1960. I always admired, and have tried to imitate the faith and charity of many of the Brothers. In every one, I saw a friend and an agent of the good. They worked tirelessly in the mental ward: those who held nursing diplomas were responsible for the various pavilions and gave me the impression that the House belonged to us – that it was “ours”. I saw many Brothers who were happy and fulfilled, who were proud of themselves because they served the Lord and I found that fascinating. Subsequently, I was invited to serve the sick as a priest. I accepted at once, and that gave me a huge amount of happiness.  To administer the sacraments is to me a matter of enormous spiritual importance and it really helps me and helps the sick.  I hope still to be able to imitate the many Brothers who became saints and lived in humility, obedience, chastity and poverty. Our hospitaller order represents a “saints’ factory” for anyone who wants to become a saint. We have four canonized saints, but the number could increase!