Testimony of one of Msgr. Kaiser’s former students. Excerpt from the letter written by Mrs. Consuelo Zagal Consuelo de Rovira in 2014.

My name is Consuelo Zagal and I am a former student of Mons. Federico Kaiser… I was transferred to the “Beata Imelda” school in Lima. It was a Monday, and the first person I met when I arrived at the school was Father Kaiser. From the first class I was struck by his personality. He did not dress elegantly, but very neatly, and what enjoyable classes! I was all ears.  No one ever got tired of listening to him.  For me, the most beautiful classes were the religion classes given by Father Kaiser… they were very interesting.  There were a lot of morals and ethics.  He knew the Bible backwards and forwards.  Whoever asked him a question about the Bible, he would answer with biblical quotations.  He would open his Bible and there was exactly what he was looking for.  More than anyone else.  Never in my life have I met a priest who was ahead of him in his knowledge of.

Father Kaiser didn’t miss a thing when he corrected the exams, not even the spelling. A German correcting our Spanish spelling!  That was Father Kaiser.  I admired him.  I wanted to learn from him.  I know many good priests, but none like Father Kaiser.  He was poor but neat.  I was very impressed by how he observed poverty.  I remember that he went to school with his little ticket to and from school; it cost, I think, 50 cents.  Once he had left his ticket between the pages of the book, and he had misplaced it.  How he searched for it in a hurry.  It was obvious that he had had the exact money for his round-trip ticket….

I was lucky that Father Kaiser was my spiritual director.  Ever since I was a child, I had a penchant for marriage, I wanted to be surrounded by children.  My mother prayed that my sister and I would have a man worthy of God.  Thank God I was lucky.  Of course, prayer is the Christian’s most powerful weapon….

When I was about to get married, I prayed that Father Kaiser would be the one to bless my marriage. I went to St. Philip’s Church and spoke to him. Thank God I got it… It was a happy marriage.  Today we have been married for 57 years.  I am going on 58 years of marriage to a man blessed by God.  I had four children.  The first one was baptized by Father Kaiser! Yes, my dear Father baptized my first son!  And if he didn’t baptize the others, it was because he was transferred to Caravelí….

I would have wanted him to be a priest. He was not a doctor of souls, but a doctor of bodies; he is a doctor.  Two weeks ago, he came from Chile to attend the reunion of his class of doctors, because they were celebrating their Silver Jubilee. I was happy to see him praying with his rosary in his hand.  I raised my children the way they raised me.  Every time I talk to my son on the phone, I make him remember: You know, son, that before being a doctor… (he doesn’t let me finish, completing the sentence) I am a son of God, Mommy.

Well, happiness comes to me in torrents.  What more can I ask God for.  Now that Msgr. Kaiser is in the process of beatification, I cannot find the words to express my joy.  I hope I still live to see this joy.

Consuelo