On February 24, Fr. Francisco Javier Jaramillo died in our monastery in Manrique (Medellin, Colombia). He was a member of our Colombian Province of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. Born on the 5th of December 1939, on the same date of 1957 he made his religious profession. After completing his studies in Colombia and receiving priestly ordination on November 14, 1965, he obtained a degree in Theology from the “Teresianum”.
In his Province he held the positions of student teacher and Provincial (1981-1984), was Director of the magazine “Vida Espiritual” and collaborated with the Latin American Council of Bishops (CELAM) giving special attention to the areas of spirituality and contemplative life.
In the 1985-1991 sexennium, he was a General Definitor and between 1991 and 1994 he served as Rector of the “Teresianum” permanent community.
Returning to his Province, he volunteered to collaborate with the General Delegation of Argentina, where he remained for 15 years. Upon returning to Colombia, he was assigned to the Community of the House of Theology in Bogota. It was there that he was diagnosed with cancer. So, to facilitate his treatment, he was transferred to our monastery in Manrique, where he died.
As he said goodbye to the communities of Rome, where he had served the Center of Order for twelve years, he wrote a touching farewell letter in which he left a record of his gratitude to God for all the compassion received, even in the midst of difficult experiences and bad times.
We recall here a brief excerpt from his precious missive: “The only thing for me to do now is to place myself, once again, into the Lord’s hands, to start giving what God has gifted me to give. Always, what has been best in my life is what HE has done … Today, more than ever, I would like to be an Epiphany of God for so many who want to know and love him and for so many who have not yet discovered him in their lives or in their history … Maybe, in all this, I’m saying I want to do his will.”
May our dear brother, Fr. “Pacho” Jaramillo, rest in peace.
