The priestly vocation of Poveda was a dream cherished for a long time.  In his Diary we often find references to his vocation:  “Lord, that I may always be a priest in thoughts, words and actions” (Diary, March 15, 1933) 

Since he was a child, this vocation was nurtured by his Christian family who had a great sensitivity for the needs of the people of Linares and for the children that had to help out their parents by working in the mines.  As a young boy he was exposed to all this in the Cantarranas Quarters; he also had the opportunity to observe the miners that spent their lives in the mines and their salaries in the bars, and the upper middle class of that city that breathed anti-clerical sentiments.

During his adolescence he got acquainted with organizations and role models that strengthened his vocation:  The St Aloysius group helped the young to be coherent Christians in the everyday life.  The Conferences of St Vincent de Paul opened his eyes to the difficulties of the poor and sick and to ways for helping them.  The figure of St Joseph of Calasanz aroused in him great admiration for his efforts in begging education and work for the many children roaming the streets.

He entered the Seminary in Jaén the year 1889, and later on he obtained a scholarship for the Seminary in Guadix, where he was ordained priest on April 17^th, 1897. 

Of his priestly identity, molded after Christ, we can point out three aspects:  his prophetic vision, his dedication as spiritual guide and counselor and his role as mediator for the faith communities of the Church.

His prophetic spirit was marked by risk taking and a resolve born from his direct contact with God that impelled him to evangelize the people living in the caves of the outskirts of Guadix, a people in need of bread, dignity and God.  As a minister of the Word he became a sower of hope, made credible through his own life of commitment and contemplation.

Due to difficulties with the acceptance of his work among the poor, he abandons Guadix and moves to Covadonga, as canon of that Basilica, where, under the gaze of Our Lady, popularly called La Santina, and in his hours of prayer he discovers the fundamental importance of the laity in the Church and its decisive role in the work of evangelization within a secularized society.

Equipped to comprehend deeply the type of lay Christian that the Church and the world need, he embarked in a series of collaborations with the emerging movements:  with the Catholic Action, the School of Parents, the Catholic Women Student Groups, and above all with his own foundation, the Teresian Association.

He was a guide with a clear conscience of his mission and ministry.  He spoke what he believed and believed what he said. He taught this freedom of spirit, that he experienced in himself, applying to himself the words of the psalmist:  “I believed, therefore, I spoke, but I have been greatly brought down”.  He concentrated himself in getting close to people and to God through the contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation and his love for the Eucharist because he considered both the privileged channels of the love of God for all his children.

As mediator, he underlined the value and the strength of community, seeking always to understand and not to condemn, to accept and never to judge, to practice mercy and not disdain. Thus, he motivated the participation of many and built fraternity.  At the same time, the community of believers saw in him a man that was risking his life for Christ, that knew how to befriend others, that lived with liberty of spirit, that transmitted the joy of the Gospel, and that, when needed, knew how to renounce his rights and distance himself.

The contemplation and assimilation of the Paschal Mystery was for Poveda the strength and the power of his ministry, and his identification with Christ Crucified the inspiration of his life of service to others.

If, in 1897, the 17^th of April marks the day of his ordination in Guadix, his words I am a priest of Christ, pronounced in 1936 before the tribunals in Madrid, constitute the confirmation of the purpose of his life and martyrdom.

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