What is heaven? A priest who just turned 100 replies

Upon turning 100, Father Ricardo Bello Mato, a priest from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, talked about what heaven means to him.

“It‘s like a dwelling place around the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A space filled with the immensity of God, God’s children living together, seeing God’s wonderful, creative power in the cosmos,” the centenarian priest shared in an interview with the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela , where he has served for more than seven decades.

Is it worth being a priest? Reflecting on the most memorable moments of his long life, Bello highlighted “the day of my ordination as a deacon and the day of my first Mass. My diaconal ordination was conferred by the cardinal, Don Fernando Quiroga. There were about 33 of us, and at one point someone had to speak and offer thanks; that role fell to me, as I was the oldest.”

“At my first Mass, I felt unworthy and inadequate. It was a deeply moving experience. It took place in 1955 at the parish in Cances, a time of great celebration and high hopes,” he continued.

Regarding the crosses he has borne in his life, the priest remarked that there have been “many, which I strove to carry well.”

When asked…