Paul Ponce

Ignition: Paul can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where were you born, where did you grow up? Paul: Well, I was born in El Salvador, Baptized in Peru, received my First Communion in Paris, France, and was confirmed in the Bahamas. I am currently living in Barcelona, Spain, but I am rarely there. Because of the line of work that I am in I have never been in one place for more than ten months, which is great. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful life; never a dull moment. Ignition: When did you begin juggling? Paul: I began juggling when I was only six years old. I practiced for at least three hours a day until I was ten years old, when I began to practice for six hours a day. It was very tough for me to do this along with my studies. In retrospect I see how much God was working in me to persevere. Even now I must practice two to three hours a day or my skills will suffer. Ignition: How many languages do you speak? Paul: I speak five fluently; Spanish, English, French, German, and Italian. I also know bits of Russian and Japanese. Ignition: What show has been your most memorable? Paul: Well, I don´t know. There have been so many. I enjoyed the shows that I did as a child, I have some very fond memories from back then. Again, my whole life has been shows, and it is very hard for me to narrow to a favorite one. Sorry, I could tell you about the year that I took off from showbiz if you like. Ignition: Sure. Paul: I was in Monaco doing a show, coming out of Mass I was approached by three young ladies. They turned out to be consecrated women within the Regnum Christi Movement, and it was them who introduced me to Regnum Christi. I realized that God was calling me to do something for Him and His Church. I was eager to grow in my faith, so, I put everything aside and for a year I gave my life to Christ as a Co-worker. I was assigned to Paris, France, where I used my talents as an entertainer to give Christ to others. It was the first time that I had ever done shows for free. I didn´t know how the year was going to go, but I´ll tell you this, it was the best year of my life - I found true happiness. Ignition: Were you always a faithful Catholic? Paul: No. I was born and baptized into a Catholic family, but we never really took our faith that serious. As entertainers it was very difficult to get to Sunday Mass, because Sundays are our biggest days. However, I did make my First Confession, and received my First Communion, but I didn´t receive Confirmation until I was 21. Up until then I was very mixed up. I had three goals: money, fame, and a girlfriend in every city across the globe. I was never satisfied though. I got sick of it. I wanted happiness, something that would last, but I couldn´t find it where I was looking. Then I heard about this ´Confirmation´ thing. I wasn´t confirmed, and I wanted to be. In the beginning I had some problems because I was moving around so much. I was never able to take the classes necessary to be confirmed, until I found myself enjoying the beautiful beaches of the Bahamas. I spoke with the pastor there and he encouraged me to take the classes. I did, and was confirmed. During the first couple of weeks after being confirmed, I found myself living a .... Ignition: A double life? Paul: Yes, living a... a double standard. When I was in Church I was very holy. When I was in the locker rooms before and after shows I was still living my old life. I didn´t want the people to think that I had gone crazy. But, I couldn´t lie to myself. So, I made the choice to commit myself more fully to my faith. One day, before a show that I was doing in Monaco, I was in a chapel kneeling before Christ, and asking him, ´what do you want me to do for you, Lord?´, I left the chapel, was confronted by three young ladies, and well you know the rest. Ignition: Do you have any advice for the young men of today? Paul: Always be faithful. Always love. And never ask to see the fruits of your apostolic effort. If you plant the seeds, God will do the rest. Sometimes our pride gets in the way and if we do not see the results of our labor immediately we get discouraged. Christ works in mysterious ways, but most of all He gets the job done. So, be faithful, always love (especially your enemies), and trust in God. Following the interview Paul picked up a very large, and very sharp knife, and proceeded to balance it on his fore head (please do not try this at home). Paul Ponce is ranked as one of the best jugglers in the world today. In-between shows Paul can be found volunteering his time lightening people´s hearts and spreading his faith to others. Here from Ignition, we all wish you the best. God bless. Ignition: A weekly e-zine igniting Regnum Christi young men around the whole world.