On 17 and 18 April 2026, the Piarist presence in Tlaxcala experienced deep joy as it celebrated the Solemn Profession and Diaconal Ordination of Br Guillermo Rodarte Varela, Sch. P.
From the morning of Friday, 17 April, various Piarist religious from different regions of Mexico gathered at the Instituto José María Morelos, on the Santa Ana campus, to accompany Brother Guillermo in his definitive promise to serve children and young people within the Order of the Pious Schools.
Likewise, family members and friends of Brother Guillermo travelled from Cañitas de Felipe Pescador, Zacatecas, where he spent his childhood and youth, in order to accompany him at this highly significant moment in his life. It was precisely there that, as he himself has shared, he first began to perceive God’s call inviting him to place himself at the service of others.
Before midday on the 17th, the Eucharistic celebration began in the Franciscan Convent of Our Lady of the Angels, presided over by Provincial Fr Sergio Fernando Hernández Avilés. In his homily, the Provincial highlighted the value of service and the particular charism that Piarist religious live each day as a gift received from God for the education and accompaniment of children and young people.
During the celebration, the Provincial addressed the newly professed with various questions concerning the commitment to serve children and young people, especially those most in need. He also expressed his gratitude to the educational community of the Instituto José María Morelos for welcoming Brother Guillermo and for being a fundamental part of his formative journey within the school.
At the end of the celebration, Guillermo Rodarte of Christ addressed those present. In his words, he described Piarist life as a “blessed madness”, an adventure that is worth living and experiencing deeply through service to the poorest.
After pronouncing his solemn vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and Christian education of poor children, Brother Guillermo then went to the secondary section of the Institute, where he currently serves as tutor of the third year, in order to thank his pupils for accompanying him on this path and for daily inspiring his vocation as a son of Calasanz.
In the afternoon, the educational community of the Instituto José María Morelos, on the Ocotlán campus, shared a meal together with family members, friends, Piarist brothers and Brother Guillermo’s pupils, and he thanked all those present for accompanying him in this definitive step within the Order.
The following day, Saturday, 18 April, from early in the morning, the Piarist brothers gathered in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of the Diocese of Tlaxcala, located in the city of Tlaxcala. There, through the laying on of hands of Bishop Julio César Salcedo Aquino, M.J., Brother Guillermo Rodarte Varela of Christ, Sch. P., would be ordained deacon for the service of the Church and of the Pious Schools of Mexico.
The Eucharistic celebration began at 10:00 a.m. and was also attended by family members, friends, pupils and colleagues from the Instituto José María Morelos, who have shared with Guillermo the educational work and the daily challenges within the secondary section.
The rite of ordination was marked by one of the most significant moments of the liturgy: the Litany of the Saints, during which Brother Guillermo lay prostrate on the ground as a sign of humility and recognition of his smallness before the gift of the ministry that God was entrusting to him.
Afterwards, through the consecratory prayer and the laying on of hands of Bishop Julio César Salcedo Aquino, he was ordained deacon. As a sign of his mission in the Church, the Book of the Gospels was handed to him, reminding him of his commitment to proclaim the Good News. Finally, he was welcomed by the community of Piarist brothers, who embraced and congratulated him on the ministry he had received.
During the offertory, the new deacon served at the altar for the first time. At the moment of the consecration, he held the chalice containing the Blood of Christ, a profound sign of the service and self-giving that characterise the Christian life and, in a particular way, the diaconal ministry.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the new deacon addressed words of gratitude to his family and to the Order of the Pious Schools. In his message, he expressed his gratitude for having been received and accepted “as he is”, and he spoke with special affection of his experience at the Instituto José María Morelos, where, as he said, the voice of Christ has constantly resounded through the pupils whom he accompanies.
Afterwards, he devoted a long time to greeting those in attendance, taking photographs and thanking personally all those who accompanied him at such a significant moment in his life.
Later in the afternoon, a meal was once again shared on the Ocotlán campus of the Instituto José María Morelos, in a festive and fraternal atmosphere. The day was marked by fellowship among the Piarists of Mexico, Deacon Guillermo’s family, his friends and companions, all of whom celebrated with joy his definitive “yes” to the mission begun by Saint Joseph Calasanz, and which today remains alive in the educational work that Guillermo carries out each day together with the children and young people whom he accompanies.
José Antonio Arroyo Fosado
