Fernando Rielo was born in Madrid, Spain on August 28, 1923. His formative years were affected by the Spanish Civil War. Right before his First Communion, he and other children preparing for the sacrament were forced to stand before a firing squad. When the soldiers asked the children to renounce their faith, he refused despite facing certain death. He was released instead of shot and his faith continued to grow. As a young man he went on to study art and philosophy and fall in love. However, after having a personal spiritual vision, he was inspired to dedicate his life to his love of Jesus Christ, renouncing marriage.
 
Upon completing his high school education, Rielo served his mandatory military duties for Spain and then, in 1946, started formation with the Redemptorist Fathers. A few years into his training, though, he had a vision that he described as the Lord telling him that he would not be ordained a priest. Before deciding what to do next, Rielo consulted with twelve priests and religious men, all belonging to different orders. All advised him to start what would eventually become an important world-wide religious institution. The Idente Missionaries of Christ the Redeemer was thus founded by Rielo in 1959 on the island of Tenerife, Spain. A prayer he wrote for those in his institute is still used to today.
 
“I promise you, Lord, to live out and transmit the Gospel, with the sacrifice of my life and my reputation, and — faithful to the greatest witness to love — die for You.”
 
Throughout his life, Rielo continued to study philosophy and metaphysics. In 1963, while walking in a park, he was struck with inspiration and started formulating the metaphysical model he would become known for — the Genetic Model. Once parsed out, he began corresponding with the Pope Paul VI, delivering to him the metaphysical model, and explaining the charism of his recently built Institution. During this time, the Institution began to expand across Spain and into different countries. Rielo kept growing its reach and developed cultural and humanitarian organizations closely connected to the Missionaries as well as a youth development program so that children could learn the charisms of the Institution.
 
His contributions to metaphysics, philosophy, poetry, and theology, as well as to his communities, earned him an honorary Doctorate from Lajo University in Ecuador as well as an appointment as a Member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language and the International Center for Hispanic Studies. Alongside all of these incredible academic contributions, Rielo was also known to have a fantastic sense of humor!
 
In 1988 he moved to New York City for specialized medical care after the amputation of his right leg. Throughout his life, Fernando Rielo underwent 30 surgeries and struggled greatly with his health. These health struggles prompted him to dedicate his life to serving those in the Institute as well as building his metaphysical school of thought. He died in New York City in 2004 at the age of 81.
 
To this day, the Institute he founded can be found in 25 nations across 90 houses. The Idente Missionaries rose, under Pope Benedict XVI, to the status of religious institute of consecrated life of pontifical right. Rielo’s metaphysical theory is still being discussed at gatherings like the World Congress of Metaphysics and awards bearing his name, the Fernando Rielo International Prize for Sacred Music and the Fernando Rielo World Prize for Mystical Poetry, are held and awarded by the Fernando Rielo Foundation every year.