The Archdiocese of Seville announced in the afternoon of September 10 the death of the young priest Pedro Elena García, from Lebrija, after several days admitted to the ICU at Valme Hospital due to a cardiac arrest suffered on September 1. He was only 32 years old.
The Archbishop of Seville, Msgr. José Ángel Saiz Meneses, expressed on his social media: “With sorrow and with hope placed in the Risen Christ, we commend the soul of the young priest Pedro Elena García, who has departed this afternoon for the Father’s House.”
Ordained in 2020 and beloved by his communities
Born on April 21, 1993, in Lebrija, Pedro Elena was ordained a priest on June 20, 2020 by Monsignor Juan José Asenjo. As a deacon, he served in the parish of the Ascension of the Lord in Seville and celebrated his first Mass in the chapel of the convent of the Conceptionists in his hometown.
He later served as parish vicar of Santa María la Blanca in Los Palacios y Villafranca and as pastor in Lantejuela. Recently, he bid farewell to these communities to take up a new pastoral assignment in Villaverde del Río.
A ministry marked by prayer and the affection of the faithful
During the days of his convalescence at the hospital in Dos Hermanas, many faithful gathered in prayer for his recovery. Countless messages of support and closeness also arrived through social media, a sign of the affection he knew how to sow in his parishes and in the Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese of Seville itself, in its obituary, gave thanks to God for his life and asked for prayers so that Christ the Good Shepherd would welcome him into his Kingdom.
Exequies in Lebrija
The exequies of Pedro Elena García will be held this Thursday, September 11 at 6:00 p.m., in the parish of Nuestra Señora de la Oliva in Lebrija, the same community where he was born and grew up in the faith.
“We pray for his eternal rest and ask Christ the Good Shepherd, Supreme and Eternal Priest, to open the doors of Heaven for him. I ask you to also pray for his family in these moments. To our Mother the Virgin of the Kings and mother of all priests, we implore with faith and hope. Rest in peace,” wrote Monsignor Saiz Meneses in his farewell message.