Francisco Sánchez Oreja from Salamanca has been re-elected as superior of the Iberian Province of Santa Teresa de Jesús, which includes a good part of the national territory, part of Portugal and several delegations in Latin America. During the celebration of the IV Provincial Chapter, he was elected for another three years in a position he held in the previous triennium.
This means that the man from Salamanca will be in charge of directing more than thirty convents spread throughout the territory. After his re-election, the Carmelite has expressed his availability to “continue this service with an attitude of listening and shared responsibility, aware of the moment in which the Province is experiencing” and has stressed “the importance of facing current challenges with realism and hope, including vocational ministry, the accompaniment of young people, the reconfiguration of presences and the need to continue strengthening unity in an increasingly diverse and intercultural context.”
Likewise, he reiterated that he understands this new period “not as a personal task, but as a path that is traveled in community, placing fidelity to the charism and mission of the Order at the center” for which he has invited all religious “to continue building together an open, fraternal and available Province for the service of the Church, trusting that the Spirit will continue to guide the steps in this new time.”
Biography
Father Francisco Sánchez Oreja began his formative path in the minor seminary of the province of Castilla, in Medina del Campo, where he completed his primary and secondary studies. He took the habit in the Desierto de las Palmas (Castellón) on September 20, 1995, making his first profession the following year in the convent of Segovia. He later continued his training in Salamanca, where he studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical University, and made his solemn profession on December 13, 2001.
His training was completed at the CITeS (Centro Internacional Teresiano Sanjuanista), where he specialized in the charisma of the Order, obtaining a degree in Spiritual Theology. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 2003. Later, he completed a Master’s degree in social doctrine of the Church.
Throughout his career he has performed various services within the Order. He was assistant to the director of the Medina del Campo seminary in 2005, provincial councilor of the province of Castilla between 2005 and 2008, and superior of the Medina del Campo convent, where he also served as director of the San Juan de la Cruz School and the minor seminary.
After the creation of the Iberian Province, he returned to be superior in Medina and provincial councilor, as well as secretary of the council.
