Father Ignacio José González Alvarez, LC

My faith arose spontaneously in a Catholic family of five children. My parents taught me from a very young age to pray and to look at all things from God´s point of view. They put a great effort into making sure that I received an excellent Catholic education. They sent me to Good Counsel, a school run by Augustinians, who were always a wonderful example of what men of God should be. I owe them so much, not only academically but also socially and spiritually.

One of the most important moments of my life was when I was preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation. I was confirmed at sixteen years of age and the whole process really helped me to mature during those difficult years of adolescence.

I had a great interest in doing something big for God. I tried almost everything and I got to know quite a few different groups as I was searching for a place where I could grow in my faith. When I was in a Catholic group studying at the University I met a Regnum Christi member for the first time. The apostolic emphasis within the Movement really attracted me.

I participated in an international convention in Valdeflors, a town near Valencia (Spain), and there I decided to live the spirituality of the Movement with all my heart. I felt that God was asking me to be more generous. It was an indefinite feeling. I still hadn´t thought of the vocation; I just knew that I wanted to serve God wherever he wanted me.

I worked with the Movement for two years. During that time I was directing a group of young people and I loved dedicating myself to them.

In 1988, in Reajo del Roble, Madrid (Spain), I participated in a session of spiritual exercises led by Father Florencio Sanchez, LC, and I incorporated into the Movement. I had taken another step but I still needed to discern what God was calling me to do with my life. Having spiritual direction with Father Florencio helped me a great deal and I began to see clearly that God wanted me to be a Legionary. >From that time on I have not had any doubts. God wants me right here.

Father Ignacio José González Álvarez, LC, was born in Madrid (Spain) on July 16, 1969. He entered the Novitiate in September of 1989. He received a bachelors degree in Philosophy from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome (Italy). He dedicated a number of years to the formation of minor seminarians in Spain and Italy and currently works as a vocation promoter in Spain. He was ordained a priest on December 22, 2001, in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome (Italy).