Discovering Eastern Priesthood

On 16 December, our seminary had the honor of welcoming Padre Javier Orozco de Donesteve, a young Greek-Catholic priest of the Eparchy of Oradea Mare (Romania), ordained in 2023. Born in Madrid in 1994 and formed between Spain and Romania, Padre Javier studied Theology at the University of Navarra, obtained a Master’s degree in the Foundations of European Identity at Babeș-Bolyai University, and is currently pursuing a Licentiate in Eastern Canon Law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. His visit offered the community a vivid and inspiring insight into the richness of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

During the Sedes Guest encounter, Padre Javier led the seminarians on a journey of discovery through the Church understood as a communion of 24 sui iuris Churches. He explained how Catholic unity is expressed through an extraordinary diversity of liturgical, theological, and disciplinary traditions. From the Byzantine family to the Alexandrian, Antiochian, and Chaldean traditions, faith in Christ emerges as deeply inculturated while remaining in full communion with the Successor of Peter. His explanation of Eastern vestments and practices made this often little-known heritage tangible and engaging.

Especially moving was Padre Javier’s personal testimony of vocation, born from an encounter with the Eastern liturgy despite coming from a Spanish Latin family. In a College that lives daily the diversity of rites, his reflection recalled the image of the Church “breathing with two lungs” and highlighted the importance of an authentic ecumenical spirit. The meeting concluded with a clear and challenging invitation to future priests: to love a truly Catholic Church—one that faithfully preserves its roots while embracing every people and culture with the charity of Christ.