Biography of P. Ramón Dubert Novo

Ramón Dubert Novo was born on October 31, 1934, in Muros de San Pedro, La Coruña, Spain, and was the seventh of ten siblings, including a nun and a priest. His religious formation began in Cuba in 1954 when he entered the Jesuit novitiate. There, he studied Classical Humanities, Sacred Oratory, and Spirituality before moving back to Spain to complete his degrees in Philosophy and Theology.

In 1962, he arrived in the Dominican Republic, settling in Dajabón, where he worked as a teacher until 1966. He then moved to Loma de Cabrera as the founding priest of the Santa Ana formation house, offering agricultural training courses to local farmers. With this experience, he wrote his first book, which was later published in Santiago under the title "Manual de los Presidentes de Asamblea."

In 1975, he was called to Santiago to work in the Corazón de Jesús Parish in Los Jardines Metropolitanos. There, he focused on the human and spiritual formation of the teachers at the Politécnico Femenino Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, as well as the parents of the students. He held monthly and bi-weekly sessions to support their academic and spiritual growth, followed up with the students, and celebrated Eucharist with them bi-weekly. He also organized special retreats during key periods such as Lent and Christmas.

For 30 years, Dubert dedicated himself as a chaplain and advisor to the institution, where he also trained lay ministers in the archdiocese and led the Grupos En Servicio (GES). Additionally, he organized summer camps by the Bao River, further fostering community and spiritual development. His legacy is deeply tied to his desire to serve the underprivileged, with his dream of creating children's dining rooms in each poor neighborhood of Santiago and ensuring that low-income families had safe and dignified housing.