Living the Hospitality of St John of God has been a discovery, a revealing pathway that has enabled me to grow as a person, a professional and as a believer.

My first contact with St John of God was when I worked as a volunteer nursing patients in the AIDS Palliative Care Unit. I still fondly remember some of my patients today, who, with their eyes, their words, sometimes barely audible, and their affection, allowed me to draw close to them with respect and an unconditional welcome.

Later on, I had the opportunity to work professionally accompanying the volunteers in that unit and in a hostel for the homeless. That experience broadened my vision of life and brought me into contact with states of great social vulnerability. I began to realise that I was involved in something that ranged beyond my daily work alone, and was becoming a vocation which was nourished by the spirit of Saint John of God. By studying his life more carefully, I was able to make sense of what I was doing and open myself to his charism, showing me how, and in what manner, to do it, and with what values I had to develop my profession.

Now I am working more broadly in the field of human resources in different social centres. My great challenge has been to know how to “care for the carers” and dedicate myself body and soul to it. And in that whole process, the closeness of the Brothers of St John of God has been essential to me, guiding me, caring for me and strengthening my faith. Their trust and their fidelity to the project of Hospitality have united me to this Hospitaller Family, and in it, I feel called to continue growing and giving life to the enthralling “madness” of Saint John of God.