I was born on November 7, 1937 at Onzaga, Santander, Colombia and baptised when I was eight days old, the ninth of ten Brothers. I entered the Order in 1952. First profession: December 8, 1955. I was ordained priest for Hospitality on December 18, 1971.

From my childhood I had been attracted to the Religious Life. I first came across the Order when I visited a cousin who was a solemn professed Brother, Gabriel Saavedra. Reading about the life of St John of God, seeing the way the Brothers bore witness of life in the service of the sick, the example set by the Format ion Masters, and the work with the sick, confirmed my longing to follow Jesus in the manner of Saint John of God.

I held various offices as Formation Master, Provincial Council, Local Superior, and General Councillor for nine years: three with Father Luigi Marchesi, the Prophet of Hospitality, and six with Brother Brian O’Donnell. During these nine years I had the opportunity to visit almost all the communities scattered across the five continents, and to appreciate the different ways in which the Order expresses its Charism. I could see that John of God lives on. The power of the Charism and the fire in the heart of the “Man who knew how to love” encompasses all the situations and the Centres of the Order. The Order’s fidelity to the Church, to the Charism and to men and women of today, takes pity on suffering people like the Good Samaritan, seeking ways of accompanying them, treating them and soothing their pain.