Priest evangelizing in the peripheries of Lima says he sees ‘miracles all the time’

Spanish missionary priest Father Julio Alonso Ampuero dedicates every weekend to evangelizing in the Diocese of Lurín in South Lima, Peru.

He gives retreats, hears confessions, and provides biblical formation and pastoral care to vulnerable individuals, a ministry through which he says he frequently witnesses “many miracles” in the form of conversions and renewed closeness to the faith.

“The truth is that it’s a blessing, because practically every weekend there are groups attending the retreat,” the priest said in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, referring to Holy Family Retreat House in Lurín, the place from which he carries out a large part of his missionary work.

“One certainly sees the fruits,” he said. “One sees the good it does for people.” He told ACI Prensa that priests like him “are privileged” because people open their consciences to them, and consequently, “one sees miracles constantly.”

Ampuero explained that the most requested retreats are those focused on inner healing and those designed for couples, which are open to engaged couples and those living together, with the aim of drawing them closer to the sacrament of matrimony.

“We have also been emphasizing silent retreats, because we see that there is a need to turn inward, a need to put down roots, and a need to strengthen that relationship with the Lord,” he added.

A mission accessible to the poorest

Ampuero highlighted that one of the aims of the retreat house is to enable people of limited financial means to participate.

“If there are people who can’t pay, or who can only pay a portion, we welcome them just the same. Divine Providence has always looked after us, and we have never gone without,” he explained.

For the priest, the impact of these encounters with God is evident. “One need only look at the joy with which people leave at the end of a retreat; the difference in their faces between the day they arrive and the day they depart,” he remarked.

“People come back again. They say, ‘It has done me so much good that I want to do it again.’ So, that is certainly very motivating,” he added.

‘I’ve found great openness to the Gospel here’

Ampuero arrived in Peru in 2011, following years of pastoral service and academic formation in Spain and Italy.

A specialist in Sacred Scripture, he pursued studies in Rome and Jerusalem at the behest of his superiors. He served as a professor of “Introduction to Sacred Scripture and the Epistles of St. Paul” at the San Ildefonso Institute of Higher Theological Studies in Toledo, in addition to serving as a formator at the seminary for several years.

He subsequently channeled this experience toward evangelization and the formation of Godʼs people.

“I didn’t view myself as a biblical researcher, but rather as someone tasked with disseminating, with making known, all that richness,” he explained.

He currently has nearly 30 publications on biblical and spiritual formation to his name.

The presence of priests from Toledo in South Lima dates back several decades to when they first began working in Villa El Salvador, a district still marked by poverty.

Ampuero said that one of the experiences that has impacted him most since his arrival in Peru has been the peopleʼs receptiveness to the Catholic faith.

“In Spain, there has been very strong secularization over the last few decades. My experience upon arriving here is that, generally speaking, that was not the case. I have encountered a great openness to the Gospel, a great openness to the tenets of the faith,” he said.

He also said the people are close to their priests and place a high value on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“One can sometimes spend hours hearing confessions, and people seek out the priest; sometimes simply to unburden themselves, to share their problems, and to find a little consolation and hope,” he recounted.

Evangelizing among the most vulnerable

In addition to leading spiritual retreats, Ampuero ministers at the Sowing Hope shelter, which houses 150 men — including the elderly, individuals with mental illnesses, and people rescued from the streets, many of whom are former drug addicts.

“These individuals, who have often lost everything, can come to know the greatest thing of all: the love of God,” he said.

The priest particularly highlighted the transformative power of faith in people struggling with addiction. “We know that in cases of addiction, it’s faith in Christ, the encounter with Christ, that can most radically set you free,” he affirmed.

“That encounter with Christ is what liberates you and heals all wounds.”

‘Prayer is my daily strength’

The priest said that the key to sustaining such an intense apostolate lies in prayer.

“For me, prayer is my daily strength, and I would not give it up for anything. It’s what gives you oxygen; it’s what strengthens you; it’s what enables you to bear the burdens of your brothers and sisters as well,” he explained.

Finally, he shared a message to young people who may be experiencing stirrings to enter the religious or consecrated life.

“Don’t be afraid. When God calls us to something, he will always provide the means to carry it out,” he affirmed.

“God takes nothing away; rather, he gives everything,” he said, recalling a saying of the late Pope Benedict XVI.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/americas/priest-evangelizing-the-peripheries-of-lima-says-he-sees-miracles-all-the-time