Rome, December 20, 2008. A total of 53 Legionaries were ordained during the Year of St Paul, with 49 of them ordained by Cardinal Angelo Sodano in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls this past December 20, 2008. Their stories are told in the new book Vivir para Cristo (Live for Christ), published by Edizioni Art and available for purchase at this link.

The book Vivir Para Cristo: Sacerdotes legionarios de Cristo cuentan la historia de su vocación (Live for Christ: Legionary of Christ Priests Tell Their Vocation Story), has 384 pages and over 100 color photographs. Each story is told in its original language: 8 testimonies in English, 2 in Italian, 3 in Portuguese, 2 in French, and 3 in German. All of the stories are also translated into Spanish.
In this book, the 53 Legionaries, coming from countries as diverse as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the United States, and Venezuela, tell the story of how they first discovered their call. Each story, like each soul, is unique.

Diego, from Brazil, studied advertising and marketing in the Catholic University of Porto Alegre. As a boy, Edmundo wanted to be a Ghostbuster. Rodrigo, from Chile, had won 4th place in a national chess competition. Avisaí is number 80 out of 135 first cousins. Tobias, from Germany, earned his doctorate in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). Omar, from Mexico, sold his electric guitar before entering the seminary. Antoine, from France, discovered his vocation story after reading a book by a Methodist pastor. Isidro, from Venezuela, started his vocational discernment after a congress that included three days of partying.

One day, they found themselves surprised and fascinated by the Lord. Like St Paul, they decided that from now on, they wanted to live for Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:15). The result is 53 unique stories of love and self-giving that led these young men to their priestly ordination. Now their lives are placed entirely at the service of God, the Church, and mankind.
To view more pictures and videos of the priestly ordinations, visit the special ordinations section on the web page at this link.