Testimony of Father Fernando Sánchez, Vincentian missionary priest, sharing his vocation journey, God’s love that shaped his life, and his service in the Congregation of the Mission of Saint Vincent de Paul.
My name is Fernando. I am 51 years old, and for 25 years I have been a missionary priest in the Congregation of the Mission of Saint Vincent de Paul.
I was asked to share my vocation story, and here I am once again diving deep into my heart to connect with my life’s experiences and share what God has done in me.
At first, I wondered: how could what I share interest a young person like you? I am from another generation, I’ve lived in a very different world. What can a 51-year-old priest say to someone from Generation Z or Alpha?
And yet, I believe that beyond our differences, we share something essential. You and I both come from families that passed on their faith, from communities—parishes, chapels, or schools—where we took our first steps in the Church. Within both of us, something has moved, leading us to ask: What is happening to me? Is God part of what I am feeling?
We begin to seek, to ask, to put words to what we experience, trying to make sense of our inner world. That is why we seek guidance from those who have gone through similar experiences.
If you ask me why I became a priest, I will tell you: because God loves me.
And if you ask me why I remain a priest, I will answer the same: because God loves me.
My priesthood is a response to the love God revealed to me when I was eighteen. I had always known God loved me—my parents had shown me that—but there came a time when I no longer knew it through others: God Himself made me feel it.
At that moment I thought: “Lord, before what You show me today, You ask, what can you give Me?”
And I said immediately: “Lord, I will give You the most precious thing I have—my life. It is all Yours.”
That was the beginning of my vocational discernment, accompanied by a Vincentian priest who guided me for a year, until I decided to enter the Congregation of the Mission.
Before that decisive encounter with God, He had already called me to a lay missionary vocation.
I discovered it through mission experiences in the Diocese of Villa María (Córdoba) and in Santa Victoria (Salta).
Both experiences were deeply marked by the encounter with the people—their faith, their struggles, their joy—and by the social and cultural reality of northern Argentina. I discovered that, as a layperson, I was called to share my faith and to proclaim the Good News to others.
That is why I always say that the first vocation God gave me was to be a lay missionary, and later, a missionary priest.
When the time came to decide where to live my priestly vocation, I already knew it would be missionary. That is when I met two Vincentian priests during a mission in northern Argentina.
I took part in a vocational retreat organized by the Congregation, and at the end, the priest asked me:
— What are you going to do?
— I want to be a priest, I replied.
— Where?
— With you, the Vincentian missionaries.
You are priests and missionaries, and you have missions in Africa, where one day I would love to go.
In February 1993, I entered the community. I have now spent 32 years in the “Little Company,” as Saint Vincent called it.
As a missionary, I have carried out various tasks entrusted to me by the Congregation. I have lived in different community houses, participated in missions abroad, and served as a missionary ad gentes outside my country. These experiences have enriched me and helped me grow as a person and as a pastor.
Today, I serve outside the Congregation, entrusted by the Argentine Church as National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies.I have been in this role for three years. This mission has been a wonderful opportunity for ministerial and pastoral growth, and also a chance to share our
Vincentian charism in many parts of Argentina where our community is not present.
Working with a team of lay collaborators, I carry out my ministry as a Vincentian priest, even while living outside community life. This experience has helped me recognize both the lights and shadows of our community and how much we can grow when we share the missionary life with others.
Dear young person, I conclude this sharing by asking you not to neglect your moments of prayer, to continue serving in your community, and to keep sharing your experiences with your spiritual companion. Speak openly—express your doubts, your fears, your desires. Be sincere with yourself and with the person who accompanies you.
Do not be afraid to make decisions. It’s okay if later you realize it wasn’t what you thought. Be docile and allow yourself to be guided. Listen with openness and don’t let anxiety take over.
If you are told that you need to dedicate more time to discernment, don’t get upset. Things take time to mature and bear fruit. Remember that this path of consecration is for life.
It will have demands, ups and downs, crises—but also much grace.
Strengthen yourself both humanly and spiritually: these two aspects are essential for a full and meaningful life.
A hug in Jesus, Missionary of the Father, from afar.
God bless you.
P. Fernando Sánchez, C.M.
