Born in Bilbao, the capital city of Biscay, a province of Spain located just south of the Bay of Biscay, Father Lopez De Pariza grew up to become an industrial engineer but joined the Jesuits to become a priest in 1933. He arrived in Mumbai port exactly on the same day one year after India was declared a republic on 26 January, 1951. Since then he has been in and around the Kheda regions of Gujarat serving in various capacities.