Cardinal José Cobo Ordains 17 New Priests, Emphasizing Christ’s Transforming Call
Madrid, April 18, 2026 – Seventeen new priests were ordained into the Archdiocese of Madrid on Saturday, April 18, during a solemn ceremony held at Almudena Cathedral. The Mass was presided over by the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo Cano, who anointed each of the new presbyters, affirming their response to the Lord’s call to “follow me,” a call that, in the Archbishop’s words, “changes history.”
The ordination highlighted the need to “prepare for the Lord to intervene” in the lives of those who “have allowed themselves to be found by Christ.” The event drew a significant number of attendees, including family members, friends, fellow priests, seminarians, members of religious orders, and parishioners, filling the cathedral to capacity. Many more followed the ceremony from outside the temple via installed screens.
Diverse Backgrounds Among the Newly Ordained
The new presbyters come from various formation backgrounds:
- Conciliar Seminary of Madrid: Eight priests – Miguel Fragoso, José María Ausín, Jaime Echanove, Guillermo Ara, José María González, Alberto del Olmo, Jesús Nistal, and Alberto Ramírez.
- Redemptoris Mater Seminary: Seven priests – Alejandro Cantos Rey, Lorenzo Carelli, Simone Colleluori, Francesc Xavier Esplugues Barquero, Marco Antonio González García, Andrés José Marín, and Christian Oliveira dos Santos.
All 15 of these individuals will serve as diocesan priests in Madrid. Additionally, the ceremony included the ordination of Javier Carmena, a religious from the Disciples of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary (DCJM), and Almay Belizaire, a diocesan priest from the Diocese of Jérémie, Haiti.
A Joyful Face of the Church in Madrid
Cardinal Cobo described the ordination as showcasing “the most joyful face of the Church in Madrid.” In his homily, he drew parallels to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, describing it as “a symbol of those inner spaces where we retreat when life does not respond to what we expect, when we lose our way, or when tiredness or depression overcomes us.” He acknowledged that the new priests’ ministry, while bringing “joy and happiness,” would also involve “fragility, fatigue, and days without light.”
The Cardinal emphasized that in such situations, “when everything seems to drift away, Jesus seeks us out.” He urged the new priests to embrace this task: “to seek out those who despair and send them to the community so that He, with His Spirit at the forefront, may dwell in it.”
The Style of God: Discretion, Listening, Accompaniment
Cardinal Cobo analyzed Jesus’ attitudes, defining them as the “style of God”: “He approaches with discretion, listens, asks questions, provokes dialogue, and little by little makes the hearts of those disciples burn.” This style, he stressed, must characterize priestly life: “Not one of protagonism or easy answers, but one of patient accompaniment, of truly knowing how to listen, of one who, before judging, raises questions and helps others discover for themselves the presence of the Lord in their lives; and always walking with them to encourage a return to communion, to share with others the experience that Jesus has risen.”
Called to Be Servants and Build Communion
The new presbyters, chosen “from among your brothers (cf. Heb 5:1) to be sent to be, with your lives, their servants,” receive “the offering of the holy people to present it to God” and “to conform your lives to the cross of the Lord,” as stated in the Rite of Ordination.
The ordination opens them to a special communion:
- Communion with their presbytery: “where each one contributes their sensitivity, their history, their abilities, and also their limitations.”
- Communion with the People of God: “who sustain you in the diversity of vocations and ministries, and to whom you are sent” to “walk together in ecclesial service, build communion, care for it, sustain it even when it is difficult, in the style of the Good Shepherd.”
- Communion with the poorest: where “Christ is there before you, waiting for someone to arrive as an instrument of consolation,” and where “your ministry will truly be that of Christ: close, merciful, and full of life.”
Drawing again from the Emmaus narrative, the Archbishop of Madrid outlined the kind of priest needed today: priests who walk with others and allow themselves to be helped; priests who ask questions and allow themselves to be questioned; profoundly eucharistic priests who build eucharistic communities and dedicated lives; and priests who learn to recognize the Lord with new eyes.
Gratitude and Encouragement for the Diocesan Community
Cardinal Cobo expressed gratitude to those involved in the formation of the newly ordained – rectors, formators, parishes, priests, professors, laity, and consecrated life. He encouraged the new priests to discover that “Christ is still with you, but in a new way: as a Teacher who teaches you to be shepherds, as a Servant who washes feet and allows Himself to be found in the breaking of bread in the Eucharist, in the community, and in charity.”
Finally, he addressed various groups within the diocesan community:
- To priests: “welcome these new brothers, care for them, pray for them, make them feel that they are part of a family and a unique mission with you.”
- To the laity: “accompany them with patience, closeness, affection; give them space to grow, to find their own way of serving.”
- To young people: “do not be afraid to say yes, even if, like those of Emmaus, you do not have a clear roadmap. Do not stop having communities where you can live the faith.”
To the ordinands themselves, he advised: “look at the lives of the priests around you,” to learn “from their dedication, their fidelity, their closeness to the people of God.” He also recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV, who called priests to reciprocal care and to understand their vocation as a gift from God and a shared responsibility of the entire Church.
“Today history changes through the action of Christ who continues to seek us. It changes through the renewed ‘yes’ of each of the baptized. It changes through the ordination of these brothers of ours who have allowed themselves to be found by Christ,” concluded Cardinal Cobo.
Source: Archdiocese of Madrid
