At the Major Seminary of Saint Joseph, Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa addressed future priests and delivered a clear message: the greatest risk in seminary life is not losing faith directly, but falling into what he called a 'practical atheism.' 'It is not about following schedules or routines,' Ulloa said. 'Baptism is the light that never goes out, and the seminary is the right time to nurture it and let it grow,' he emphasized. The priestly ministry is not a position or a function: 'It is a mission born from Baptism and sustained by a living experience of the Spirit. Believing is not an idea or an inherited custom, but a daily encounter that occurs among studies, doubts, and difficulties of the vocational journey.' Ulloa stressed the need to integrate spiritual, human, and pastoral life, and called on future priests to live with coherence, closeness, and compassion, always at the service of the people. In the end, he exhorted seminarians sent on mission to be witnesses and not protagonists, and recalled that faith is proclaimed more by life than by speeches: 'Believing is worth it because it transforms, sustains hope, and allows one to love the people to the extreme.' 'The seminary is a place to be alone with God, to truly listen to Him, to let Him move you, question you, and heal you.' The archbishop reminded that a authentic priest understands that serving is not about seeking protagonism. That the real Church has lights and shadows, and learning to love it that way is part of the journey. 'There you learn to say what hurts, to set limits, to ask for help, and to mature as a person, with all the humanity that entails,' he added. Ulloa warned of the danger of a faith that cools from within: speaking of God without speaking with God, getting used to religious discourse while the spiritual life fades away. 'A priest without hope hardens or becomes cynical.'
