Meet Fr. Fernando, M.S.

Fr. Fernando Altamiranda, M.S.

What is your family background?

I was born on March 7, 1969, in Tucuman, in the Northern part of Argentina. My father’s name is Julio César and he worked as an electrician. My mother, María Argentina, worked in our home. I have two sisters, Patricia and Daniela, and one brother, named Ariel.

My sister, Patricia, began to volunteer in our parish with youth and teach catechism as well. She then invited me to help her with the youth group and then I taught in our religious education classes for First Communion and Confirmation (ages 9-17). This was my first experience in teaching and began for me a lifelong call as a teacher who strengthens others in their faith.

In this same experience, I worked alongside Fr. Alfredo Velarde, a La Salette priest in our parish. I also worked with him in another group consisting of about 60 youth. We worked in our city and countryside barrios to help our people celebrate their faith. We also drew our youth into working in the summer in soup kitchens with very poor children, teaching them how to keep clean and healthy including delousing practices. We also helped the children with remedial studies and well as appreciation of their faith, and the importance of Jesus and Mary in their lives.

What drew you to the priesthood and the La Salette Community?

I was working in Las Termas, while Frs. Roland Nadeau (now deceased), Alfredo Velarde and John Higgins were our priests. I saw the deep love that they had for our people. This was opening my eyes to see myself serving like them in their vocation. I saw their happiness as celibates, and the love they had in serving our people. I was amazed at their dedication. So I began accompanying them to our rural missions to help them.

(left to right) Frs. Alfredo Velarde, Roland Nadeau (deceased), and John Higgins

From that experience, I began talking with Fr. Alfredo and this aroused in me a desire to live as they did and become a La Salette priest. I even began talking about doing this. I loved all those priests but I was especially drawn to Fr. Alfredo and talked with him about religious life.

My process of discernment took seven years, beginning at the age of 14. When I was 21 years old, I began my formal formation in Cordoba, which is in the center of Argentina, a six-hour hour drive from my hometown.

Where did you do your formation studies?

I did all my studies with other religious communities of men and woman and laity in Cordoba with the Claretian Fathers while I lived with the La Salettes. I was ordained on Aug. 24, 2002, in my home parish in Las Termas, with my own parishioners and family present. It was a wonderful celebration!

Fr. Fernando’s home parish church, Nra. Sra. de Perpetuo Socorro, in Las Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina

How do you feel about what you have done as a priest?

I worked in our La Banda parish of Our Lady of La Salette from 2002 to 2010 and from 2011 until now I have served in my home parish of Las Termas as well as being a professional teacher in the nearby Catholic College. In all of this, I am very happy in my religious life and priesthood.

I feel that God has been tremendously generous to me. The people with whom I worked have taught me about living a happy, simple life and how to be joyful in daily living and how to get in touch with hope and how God helps us all.

What does the La Salette message mean to you?

La Salette has given me the opportunity to live the La Salette charism. The basic message of La Salette is very expansive. There are lots of opportunities for both us and our people to live out this message.

Fr. Fernando during his recent visit to North America

It means three things for me. First, Mary’s openness, and gentle welcoming of the two children (and us). This reminds us of the opportunity for our people to come back to God despite their sins, the disintegration of their marriage, their position as single mothers, their sexual orientation or their feelings of unworthiness. As Mary showed, all these people are welcomed to come back to God.

The second is Mary’s tears. She cries because she sees her people living far from her Son. The people cry because they feel that God is outside of their life.

I feel that her tears call me and teach me as a La Salette priest to respond with her same deep compassion for her needy people and help reconcile them back to God.

Thirdly, the La Salette apparition reminds us that Mary has hope for us! The message of La Salette includes a listing of sin and death, and lack of faith, but Mary also offers and expresses the hope that we can change and soon be “converted” and draw closer to her Son.