Br. Eduardo Ramírez, professed in Valladolid: “Today I am certain that God wants me to serve His Church in the manner of Saint Augustine”

Brother Eduardo Ramírez Olid, born in Olvera, Cádiz (Spain), tells us from Valladolid about his formation process, his lights and shadows, the daily life in the professed house, and his vocational journey within the Order of Saint Augustine.

At what moment did you experience that God was calling you to be an Augustinian? 

In my case, my vocational path began in the diocesan seminary, and it had never crossed my mind to become a religious, much less an Augustinian (since there are no Augustinians in my area, I didn’t even know they existed).

It was during COVID, sharing that time of “confinement” with the other seminarians, living a more intense community life, that a desire to live in community awakened in me. And the Lord placed in my path a friar who showed me who the Augustinians were, what their charism was, and invited me to have an experience with them. From that moment, the desire to become an Augustinian arose in me as a response to the personal call God was making to me: to walk with brothers in search of God, deepening interiorly in what He was asking of me. 

That initial desire has been gradually shaped, day by day, as a daily response that molds one’s life. And that initial restlessness has also been confirmed by the Order through admission to the novitiate, to first profession, and, when the time comes, to solemn profession.

Today I have the certainty that God wants me to serve His Church through this particular vocation, following the way of Saint Augustine.

What is daily life like in the professed house? 

Our daily life follows the rhythm of the community. We begin the morning with Lauds and Mass, followed by breakfast. On some days, Mass is in the afternoon, so we usually have a time of meditation/prayer together with Lauds. Throughout the morning, each of us organizes a schedule to make good use of time for personal study, and we meet again at midday to pray the midday hour and go to lunch. After lunch, we have a time we call community recreation or coffee, where we can share with the brothers about our studies, daily life, etc. At four in the afternoon, classes begin at the Theological Study Center and end at eight. There we go deeper into the different areas of theology: from the first years with philosophical content, the intermediate year with introductions to the various theological disciplines, and what we call the cycle, where we study in depth areas such as Sacred Scripture, Moral Theology, Theological Anthropology, Canon Law, etc. 

Once classes are over, we pray Vespers, followed by a time of prayer/meditation, dinner, and recreation, where we sometimes play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes… After recreation, each brother goes to his room to continue personal study until bedtime—although this depends on each person—around eleven thirty.

What stage of your path toward the priesthood are you in?

 I am in the final years of what we call simple vows. These are the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, which are renewed each year. This stage, we could say, ends with solemn profession and diaconal ordination. After the diaconate, and after some time exercising that ministry, comes priestly ordination. It is a time to continue deepening in the Augustinian charism in view of embracing the vows definitively, for life, responding to God’s call with joy and freedom.

What captivates you most about your vocation? 

There are many aspects that captivate me about my vocation, but if I had to highlight one, it would be, on the one hand, the personal dimension of being able to deepen and transmit what one has received, of bringing Jesus to others, and doing so in a very special way: through the sacraments, acting as a priest “in the name of Christ.” And on the other hand, that this mission is not carried out in isolation, but that the search for God in order to transmit Him better is shared, walking with other brothers, with one heart and one soul. That gives everything a very profound meaning. It is a beautiful vocation, which involves going out to meet the other, the one who lives in community, being attentive to his needs, sharing his joys, and helping him carry his difficulties.

What do you find most difficult? 

Without a doubt, learning to step out of oneself each day: letting go of securities, accepting one’s own limits, and growing in patience, especially in daily community life. As the vocation is forged, difficulties arise, but part of the process is facing them and learning to be patient with oneself.

Why would you encourage other young men of your generation to follow this path?

Because it is an adventure worth living. We find ourselves in a world full of haste and noise, where relationships become superficial and everyone must paddle their own canoe. The Augustinian vocation offers a different vision, one that fills life with depth, meaning, true joy, and a love that is shared. If a young man tells me he feels this restlessness, I would invite him to come and see how we live. Because perhaps that initial restlessness is the way God is inviting him to live his particular vocation. And only by responding to that divine call will he be fully happy. God asks us to give everything, but He gives much more than we can imagine.