HONG KONG (SE): “If you have your calling from God to lead a consecrated life, God will help you. You will find your Mother Teresa,” says Father Sergio Chavira of the Guadalupe Missioners, who is celebrating his silver jubilee of priesthood this year. Talking to the Sunday Examiner, he recalled how the saint had been a holy instrument of God, leading him to his consecrated service.
Father Chavira said he always told young people that it was never late to respond to one’s vocation as he joined the seminary at 38 of age. He was born in 1951 in Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. He has four siblings. He remembered attending Jesuit primary and secondary schools, where he was often encouraged to learn from saints like Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. He was also active in joining prayer groups and retreats at that time. However, he did not expect that he would become a priest. Years later, he worked as a civil engineer as he grew up and pursued a master’s degree in London.
In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work bringing help to suffering humanity. Father Chavira, with a deep love for saints since his primary school days, was very touched by her example of love and compassion and determined to go to India to meet her one day.
After completing his studies in London in August 1985, he started a tour of different countries in Asia. On September 30 that year, he arrived in Calcutta, India, intending to meet Mother Teresa.
On September 19, just 11 days prior, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake had hit Mexico City. Knowing that Chavira was from Mexico, Mother Teresa agreed to meet the young man at once and gave him a letter addressed to the sisters of Missionaries of Charity in Mexico to show her concern for the victims of the earthquake. Chavira thought the task was too simple and asked what else he could do for her. He recalls the she looked straight into his eyes and said, “You should be working with us in Mexico.” Although Mother Teresa meant for him to help her congregation in Mexico, he could feel that God speaking through her telling him that he should be a priest.
Chavira returned to his hometown in northern Mexico and went down to Mexico City after some time to search for a job. There, he also volunteered with the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity. However, the place was too far away from where he worked. The sisters recommended that he work as a volunteer for the Missionary of Charity Brothers at a place nearer to his work.
Father Chavira remembered that Mother Teresa said she understood. ‘She told me not to worry. ‘The Holy Spirit will guide you to another port. You will be happy, and you will find peace. When you find another congregation, please write me a letter to tell me where you are’,’ he recounted
In 1987, the priests of the Missionaries of Charity set up a seminary in Tijuana, Mexico. Chavira visited in 1989 and was invited to stay for two weeks for a ‘come and see’. He liked it a lot. He resigned from his job and joined the seminary at 38-years-old.
Two-and-a-half-years later, the superior of the seminary told Chavira that they could not accept him as he did not fit their style and asked him to leave. “I was already 40. The superior thought it was too hard for me to change my personality, so I had to leave,” he recounted.
Mother Teresa happened to be there for the ordination of one of their missionaries. So Chavira went to see her, telling her that they had met in 1985, what he had done in recent years and that he was too sad to leave.
Father Chavira remembered that Mother Teresa said she understood. “She told me not to worry. ‘The Holy Spirit will guide you to another port. You will be happy, and you will find peace. When you find another congregation, please write me a letter to tell me where you are’,” he recounted.
He wrote letters to different seminaries seeking admission. Finally, the Guadalupe Missioners replied and said they would be glad to accept him. He joined their seminary in Mexico City to continue his theology studies.
Father Chavira was ordained for the Guadalupe Missioners on 19 July 1997. He was already 46-years-old, and shortly after, his superiors sent him to Hong Kong. It was challenging for him to learn Cantonese, a complex language.
“I was frustrated every night while learning Cantonese. I prayed to Jesus, telling him that I love him, but Cantonese does not seem to love me,” he joked in his homily during the Mass marking the 25th anniversary of ordination on July 19 at Holy Cross Church, Shau Kei Wan.
In the past 25 years of priesthood, I have been trying to serve the people I have been sent to with a tender attitude, always keeping in mind the compassion and love of Our Lady and the concern for the less privileged that characterised Mother Teresa
Father Chavira
“However, my love for Jesus strengthened my determination to learn the language,” Father Chavira said. He thanked Father Peter Leung Tat-choy for understanding his language problems when they served together at the Star of the Sea Parish, Chai Wan, before he completed his Cantonese course.
Currently, Father Chavira serves aws assistant parish priest at the Holy Cross parish. Over 10 priests from different congregations and parishes concelebrated the thanksgiving Mass held at the parish church.
Father Gervais Baudry, of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, who will also celebrate his silver jubilee in December this year, urged the faithful to pray for the vocations of local people. Maryknoll Father Michael Sloboda, who serves at Rosary parish, Tsimshatsui, shared that Father Chavira and he have the same love for science and mathematics, as they both worked as engineers before entering the seminary. He stressed that there is no contradiction between one’s love for science and the priestly vocation!
Father Liu, the parish priest of Holy Cross Church, thanked Father Chavira for coming to Hong Kong as a missionary and for his humility while doing parish work.
Also concelebrating the Mass was Father Mario Gutierrez Carrejo, superior of the Guadalupe Missioners; and Father Salvador Rojas Vega, the first councillor.
Besides the parishes in Shau Kei Wan and Chai Wan, Father Chavira has served at Mother of Christ Parish, Sheung Shui; St. Alfred’s, Tai Wai; Mother of Good Counsel Parish, San Po Kong; Annunciation Church, Tsuen Wan; Rosary Church, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Father Liu presented a papal blessing parchment to Father Chavira as a token of gratitude for his 25 years of service to the Church. Looking back, Father Chavira said he performed his ministry following the example of the first disciple of Jesus, Our Lady [under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Guadalupe Missionaries], and the saint of Calcutta, Mother Teresa.
“In the past 25 years of priesthood, I have been trying to serve the people I have been sent to with a tender attitude, always keeping in mind the compassion and love of Our Lady and the concern for the less privileged that characterised Mother Teresa,” Father Chavira said.
