He turned a piece of metal into a masterpiece by his hands, now he is turning rough stones into diamonds with his words. That’s Fra Cyril Maria dela Riarte of the Incarnate Word.
Fr. Cyril Maria or better known before as Joel dela Riarte officiated one of his public masses at CITE on July 5 after he was ordained to the priesthood on March 24 by His Eminence Cardinal Crese, Archbishop of Naples, Italy.
Joel dela Riarte was a Batch 3 graduate of Mechanical Technology. He received his Academic Excellence Award upon graduation and became a faculty member of CITE. It was then that he heard the “call.” He said, “I had longed for happiness – and so I was brought to a group founded by Fr. Buenaventure Valles and had realized the vocation of my life – to serve the Lord. God wants that I will serve Him closely to bring back the wavering flock of sheep to the church.”
The call has always become a mystery to this 31-year-old priest. He said, “Vocation is part of God’s plan for each one. Everyone has his or her own vocation. When you hear this calling, you must pay attention (to) it and most of all – pray.”
He continued, “You must not be afraid (of) the consequences (leaving the family, job, profession) and must detach yourself (from) the material things in this world. Christ said the he who follows me will not be confused.”
His love for CITE brought him back to his Alma Mater where he officiated one Friday mass.
“CITE – my home,” said Fr. Cyril said in elation. “Studying here in CITE is a good experience. The impression that struck me in this institution is the values formation and the family involvement in the formation.” he stressed.
To the students, he advises: “Students must study and pray…We should pray because God is talking to us in prayer. To sanctify ourselves is to sanctify our daily activities and sanctifying does not only mean competence and preciseness, but living with the virtue and obedience to God’s will. As the CITE motto wanted to impart, the students must do ordinary things, extraordinarily well,” ended Fr. Cyril.
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