Diácono Frank Cicero

El llamado del Señor para mi vida fue una de las revelaciones más radicales de Su amor y su misericordia. Nunca había pasado por mí el pensamiento acerca del seminario o de abrir mi vida a Dios en este camino evangélico. La primera vez que ese pensamiento pasó por mi mente fue en 2009. Siempre había estado abierto al amor de Dios, pero sólo en la manera que yo quería recibirlo. Mi fe creciente era una fortaleza, pero mientras más crecía en edad vino la debilidad, hasta que fui totalmente envuelto por los placers de este mundo. Estaba buscando llenar una necesidad espiritual en un lugar físico; aunque en el exterior percibía tenerlo todo, realmente lo que tenía era nada. Estaba solo y derrotado. Fue sólo a través de un gran sufrimiento que Su misericordia fue capaz de cautivar mi alma, para llevarse mi derrota que había en mí y sanarme mediante Su divino amor de la Eucaristía. Fue hasta entonces que me fue dada la fortaleza para verdaderamente estar de pie y no tener miedo de decirle “SÍ” a Dios.

• Parroquia: San Timoteo (St. Timothy)
• Escuela Preparatoria: Desert Mountain
• Escuela Primaria: Sandpiper and Sonoran Sky Elemerntary
• Santos favoritos: Mi madre, Fr. Charles Canterna, Santa Faustina, Santa Teresa de Ávila y San Agustín.

Diácono John Nahrgang

Yo no crecí como católico, pero recuerdo claramente cuando fui a Misa por primera vez. Fui con un compañero mi equipo de hockey y su familia un domingo por la mañana, luego de una desvelada.

Ahi, en la Parroquia Inmaculado Corazón de María, en Minnetonka, Minnesota, la Santísima Virgen María aparentemente tomó nota del niño de 10 años no acostumbrado a arrodillarse en un banco.

Asistí a escuelas públicas y crecí como un agnóstico con un fuerte deseo de ir a la Univbersidad de Notre Dame. Ahí, la Santísima Madre comenzó a hacer sentir su presencia en mi vida, más notablemente como nuestra Señora de Guadalupe cuando pasé un semester viviendo y estudiando en México.
Seis años después, fui aceptado dentro de la Iglesia Católica en la Basílica de Santa María en Minneápolis, Minnesota. Un año después de eso, Dios me invitó suavamente a comenzar a explorar la vocación al sacerdocio.

Pasé tres años en formación con la maravillosa comunidad religiosa Mariana, durante los cuales Dios empezó a dirigir mi discernimiento hacia el sacerdocio diocesano.

Armado con suficiente claridad en la cuestión y consciente tanto de un deseo por el ministerio hispano, como el futuro de mis padres, lo cual envolvía su jubilación en Arizona, le pedí a Dios confirmar un proceso de solicitud de ingreso para la Diócesis de Phoenix.

Él lo hizo, y ahora me encuentro en paz en mi nuevo camino, agradecido por el amor y apoyo de mi diócesis adoptive, y con la esperanza de un maravilloso futuro como sacerdote Católico, bajo el patrocinio y el manto de nuestra Santísima Madre.

• Parroquia: Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro (OLPH) – Glendale
• Escuela Preparatoria: Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minnesota)
• Escuela Primaria: Glen Lake (Minnetonka, Minnesota)
• Santos favoritos: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Santa Faustina, Santa Filomena, San Pío de Pietrelcina y Santa Filomena.

Diácono Vinhson Nguyen

Cuando era chico yo quería ser sacerdote, de la misma manera como muchos niños quieren ser astronautas y bomberos. El problema es que no dejaba de pensar sobre lo que Dios quería que yo fuera, hasta hace un par de años.

Eso fue un gran cambio en mi vida que me empujó a aprender más acerca de mí mismo y para qué me hizo Dios.

Me encontré a mí mismo orando más seguido, asistiendo a Misa todos los días y acudiendo a la Confesión regularmente. Fue entonces cuando, al estar orando frente al Santísimo Sacramento en adoración y en la Misa, que el pensamiento sobre el sacerdocio vino a mi mente. Ocurrió cuando fui a una ordenación en el 2010 que finalmente me sentí movido a responder a este llamado.

Conocí al Padre Paul (Sullivan), director de Vocaciones, y abrí con él una línea de comunicación. A través de él conocí a otros hombres discerniendo su vocación. Pasar tiempo con otros discernientes fue alentador, porque compartimos muchas experiencias en común y pensamientos acerca de nuestro ingreso al seminario.

Para cualquiera discerniendo su vocación creo que hay dos cosas que son lo más importante. Son participación en los sacramentos y oración. Creo que entre más sea nuestro encuentro con Cristo en la Comunión, la Cofesión y la oración ante el Santísimo Sacramento, nuestra vocación vendrá más evidente.

• Parroquia: Resurrección
• Escuela Preparatoria: Mesquite High School
• Escuela Primaria: Gilbert Elementary
• Santos favoritos: San Agustín, Santo Tomás de Aquino, San Pablo, San Juan Vianney y Santa Filomena.

Chris Gossen

Me crié como Católico, pues mis padres me llevaban a Misa desde que era bebé. En la la escuela intermedia (Middle School), me uní al coro de la Iglesia y al grupo juvenil; comencé a oir a la gente en mi parroquia decir que yo podría ser un Ministro de Jóvenes o Sacerdote. En aquel tiempo eso me asustaba un poco y esquivé la idea.

Sin embargo, en el 2009 sentí que el llamado del Espíritu Santo vino a mí en la Iglesia. Empecé haciendo voluntariado en el grupo juvenil de mi parroquia y, eventualmente, me hice Ministro de Jóvenes y trabajé en el Centro Pastoral Diocesano en HR.

La idea del seminario y el sacerdocio llegaron a mi mente de nuevo en el 2009, y fui más allá a través de un devoto discernimiento, asistiendo y sirviendo todos los días en la Misa, rezando la Liturgia de las Horas y reuniéndome con los seminaristas de Phoenix.
Asistí a un retiro sobre Alegría en las Vocaciones, en el cual el maestro de retiro dijo que no se pueden discernir dos vocaciones a la misma vez, y que debes de confiar en Dios y dar el salto.

Comencé a experimentar un sentimiento profundo de paz y hablé con el Director Diocesano de Vocaciones, el Reverendo Paul Sullivan, y solicité mi ingreso al seminario.

Desde que estoy en el seminario he venido reconociendo el constante rol que Dios ha jugado a lo largo de mi vida. Estoy profundamente agradecido con aquellos que me han apoyado a través de estos años, con quienes han causado algún impacto en mi discernimiento.

¡San Juan Vianney, Patrono de los Sacerdotes, Ruega por nosotros!.

• Parroquia: San Bernardo de Clairvaux
• Escuela Preparatoria: Desert Mountain
• Escuela Primaria: Cochise
• Santos favoritos: San José, San Patricio, San Bernardo de Clairvaux, San Juan de la Cruz, Santa Teresa de Lisieux y San Juan Vianney.

Estevan Wetzel

My encounter with discerning the Catholic priesthood was gradual, yet powerful. I grew up in a loving, Catholic-Hispanic home but was a bit of an introvert while at Most Holy Trinity Elementary School. I sought to find a hobby to which I could dedicate myself and was able to find my “niche” in sixth grade by altar serving. It was here that the seeds of discernment began to be planted as I became very attentive to the Holy Mass and parishioners would tell me that I would make a great priest. It was not, however, until sophomore year that I truly became open to the Lord’s call.

While at a Steubenville Conference, before the Blessed Sacrament, I received the Lord’s Love in a personal way that made me realize that I was not a face in the crowd, the Lord knew me by name and He was calling me to be a saint. This changed my life dramatically because it gave me the graces to focus on enriching my faith in youth group, to strive to serve God in a more committed way, and to not fear the idea of priesthood. Gradually, as I continued my time at St. Mary’s High School, I realized with much peace, joy, and excitement that the Lord wanted me to enter seminary right after graduation. I applied and was accepted as a seminarian in June 2011.

As I’ve been in seminary, the Lord’s presence has continued to be with me and has guided me as I progress in formation. This presence has been most tangible in the grief and healing I have experienced after the deaths of my brother and father. As a result, I have come to learn that it is His Love that has sustained me as I am formed, tested and given the graces needed to be a spiritual father for the Diocese of Phoenix.

• Parish: Most Holy Trinity
• High School: St. Mary’s Catholic High School
• Grade School: Most Holy Trinity
• Favorite Saint(s): St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, Blessed Miguel Pro, St. Josemaria Escriva

Kevin Penkalski

Tengo que acreditar mi deseo de ser sacerdote a María. Una noche yo realmente me encontraba al final de mi cuerda y recé un Rosario tan seriamente como pude, pidiendo a María que me revelara lo que Dios deseaba qué y quién fuera yo.

Al día siguiente serví en la Misa de Navidad y un hombre al que nunca había visto me dijo: “Tú deberías considerar el sacerdocio”.

Un par de meses después, fui con un sacerdote que era un viejo amigo de mi párroco y la primera cosa que me dijo fue: “Métete al seminario”. Entonces eran montones de personas diciendo: “Tú podrías considerar el sacerdocio”.

Mi corazón se estaba llenando con la idea de vivir como sacerdote, celebrando la Eucaristía era la cosa mejor que estaba en mi mente. Me moría de ganas de cumplir ese anhelo y decidí hacércelo saber al Director de Vocaciones.

Decidimos que yo debería ir a la Universidad Estatal de Arizona y continuar discerniendo. Quise realmente poner a prueba este deseo, así que estuve muy envuelto en el Centro Newman.

Me di cuenta que primero necesitaba crecer como hombre, y bajé mi guardia; y dejé que la gente me enseñara cuanto necesitaba crecer. Fue difícil, pero incluso con las personas más escépticas acerca de mi deseo, nunca perdí la esperanza. Después del Día de Discernimiento en el 2010, supe que necesitaba aplicar (para ingresar al seminario). Fui aceptado casi cuatro meses más tarde.

• Parroquia: Santa Rosa Phillipine Duchesne
• Escuela Preparatoria: Boulder Creek High School
• Escuela Primaria: New River Elementary School
• Santos favoritos: María, San Juan Pablo II, San Nicolás von Flüe, San Michael, San James, San Judas, San Luis de Montfort, Santa Teresa de Lisieux y el arzobispo Fluton Sheen.

Marvin Soto

La santa Madre Iglesia nos enseña que, desde antes que naciéramos, Dios ya nos amaba y tenía un plan para nosotros. Yo no estaba conciente de esta realidad hasta después de la preparatoria (High School).

Como muchos hombres, yo viví mis años tempranos torpemente, mirando la vida como una sucesión insípida de momentos. En medio de todo el tiempo libre obtenido por haberme graduado y no asistiendo aún al colegio, una noche el Señor Dios se presentó ante mí.

No puedo explicar cómo fue. No fue como una tormenta ni nada grande como eso. Más bien, sentí en algún lugar profundo que ese Dios era real y que desde entonces la vida nunca sería la misma. Después de ese momento, sutilmente regresé mi camino al confesionario y a la práctica completa de la fe.
Leyendo y practicando el catecismo y las Escrituras, el sitio donde más profundamente experimenté el amor de Dios fue el santo Sacrificio de la Misa. Ahí, en el momento fascinante de la adoración, sentí tal cercanía con Jesús que tuve que decir abiertamente que lo más satisfactorio para mí es estando en la Misa. Esto, que fue la alegría de la llegada de Dios a mi vida, fue el primer y fundamental paso en todo mi discernimiento.

Después de leer un libro del arzobispo Fulton Sheen llamado “The Priest is Not is Own” (El sacerdote no se pertenece a sí mismo), decidí hacer todos los días una Hora Santa ante el Santísimo Sacramento. Este es el lugar donde el amor por Cristo verdaderamente empezó a florecer dentro de mi cirazón.
Hay muchas memorias dulces que inundan mi mente cuando pienso en este periodo de mi vida que resultan imposible escribir. Quizás puede ser descrito major como verdadero amor el cual integró todo lo que era verdadcero, bueno y hermoso en mi vida dentro de un camino sencillo hacia Cristo.

El tiempo de discernimiento fue principalmente acerca de aprender a “disminuir” lo que Cristo puede “aumentar”. Cuanto esto ocurra más, en la medida que un hombre viva más profundamente en alegría.

Mientras sigo siendo formado en el seminario, me convenzo más del anhelo profundo de convertir el amor del corazón del Cristo en el mundo a través del ministerio del sacerdocio.

• Parroquia: Catedral de San Simón y San Judas
• Escuela Preparatoria: Alhambra High School
• Escuela Primaria: Barcelona Middle School
• Santos favoritos: Santa Teresea de Lisieux, San José, Santo Tomás de Aquino, San Juan Bosco, San Juan Pablo II, San Jose María Escrivá, San Pío de Pietrelcina, Santa Madre Teresa de Calcuta, Beata Chiara Badano, Beato Pier Giorgio Frasati.

Gabriel Terrill

Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be a priest. When I was young I wanted to be a Trappist monk, a scientist, and an astronaut. Over the years I gained a fear of outer space and realized that math, the least favorite topic, played a major part in most sciences. I also realized that Trappist monks spend most of their lives in silence, which was a deal-breaker for me. However, through all this the desire to be a priest was still present. Over time this desire grew, in receiving my first Communion and Confirmation, as well as serving on the altar as an altar boy. In high school I started taking the possibility of becoming a priest seriously and began asking priests at my parish about the priesthood. I found out about this thing called a seminary, not to be confused as a cemetery, where young men just like me discerned and studied to become priests. Knowing this I visited the Josephinum, a college seminary in Columbus Ohio, and  was encouraged by what I saw to apply to the seminary. I was moved by the fraternity found in the seminary, and the genuine desire of those involved to discern God’s will with an open heart. Soon after I was accepted in 2012, and so far it has been the best decision of my life.

In discerning whether or not to enter seminary the things I found most helpful were a devotion to silent prayer and adoration, as well as regularly receiving the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) and the Eucharist. The best way to know God’s will for you is to first get to know Him, and there is no better way than through prayer and the sacraments. I was also fortunate to have the support and encouragement of my family, priests, and many others at the parish.

• Parish: St. Mary Magdalene
• High School: Home Schooled
• Grade School: Home Schooled
• Favorite Saint(s): Maximilian Kobe, John Vianney, Theresa of Calcutta, Paul, Francesca Cabrini, Josemaria Escriva, Thomas Moore, John Paul II, Blessed Stanley Rother, Blessed Henry Newman

Nathaniel Glenn

Desde que puedo recordar, la idea del sacerdocio ha estado siempre en mi mente. En en mi infancia se encendía y se apagaba, pero cuando tenía alrededor de 12 años comencé a leer libros sobre la doctrina Católica que explicaba lo que creemos y por qué lo creemos. Absolutamente yo me siento enamorado de la fe católica, y mi discernimiento del sacerdocio realmente creció fuera de eso.

Uno de los más grandes factores en mi discernimiento ha sido siempre la oración. Desarrollando una vida de oración estable (comenzando con el rezo del Rosario cada noche), crecí en una relación con Dios.

Fue en esta relación que lo sentí fuertemente llamándome a servirle, especialmente en momentos de oración ante el Santísimo Sacramento y en alabanza y culto comunitarios.

La oración es indispensable si quieres discernir la voluntad de Dios para tu vida, el sacerdocio o algo más.

A lo largo de mis diez años, mi vocación también fue fortalecida por mi ambiente: Asistí a la preparatoria St. Mary’s High School y conocí a otros fuertes hombres y mujeres Católicos.

Me uní a la organización local Life Teen, un grupo juvenil, y entré en comunión con otros católicos en crecimiento; me hice lector, servidor del altar y ministro de Eucaristía en mi parroquia.

Rodeándome de personas y actividades que me ayudaron a crecer cerca de Dios, también crecí cerca a la idea de que este mismo Dios podría estar llamándome a servirle en el sacerdocio.

• Parroquia: Corpus Christi
• Escuela Preparatoria: Saint Mary’s High School
• Escuela Primaria: Kyrene Del Akimel A-al Middle School
• Santos favoritos: Santa Teresa of Lisieux, Padre Pío

Jonathan Tansill

The adventure which I call “my openness to the Will of God” began when I was in college. I was born and raised in a beautiful Catholic family with very devout loving parents and three wild rambunctious brothers. I went on many Edge and Life Teen retreats throughout my upbringing, but nevertheless in high school I started to fall away from my faith. I would continue to keep up the outward appearances of a Catholic, but my heart had gone dry and I only sought my own will. In high school I got caught up with the wrong friends and one day made a very vulnerable prayer. I asked Jesus to take away all my friends that wouldn’t bring me closer to him. I lost almost all my friends. The next year I befriended and joined a group of incredible Catholic college students who lived together at ASU campus. I went on a retreat with them called The School of the New Evangelization, and on this retreat I had a radical encounter with the Jesus Christ and heard Him say that He loves me. My life was forever changed. I was on fire for the Lord and wanted to know, love, and serve Him for the first time of my life. My faith was no longer my parents but my own. I started going to daily mass, making a holy hour, and praying the rosary for the first time. I pursued the Blessed Lord in the Eucharist, and I allowed myself to be pursued by Him. I found myself running to the chapel whenever I had free time, and I felt a real joy when I served mass at the Newman Center. I was at a point in my life where I wanted to give my life away and do the Lord’s will. Through this vulnerability he showed me my desire for the priesthood and called and confirmed me to it in multiple little distinct ways. I eventually talked to a couple priests about joining seminary, I applied, and here I am. I am getting closer to the Lord each and every day. The life of a seminarian is a hard life, but it is joyful and filled with many graces. I continue my adventure of drawing close to the Lord and doing His Will.

• Parish: St. Timothy
• High School: Valley Christian
• Grade School: Sonoma Ranch, Edu Prize, Greenfield Jr. High
• Favorite Saint(s): Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Philip Neri, John Vianney, Tarcisius, Theresa of Jesus

Thomas Willis

A friend of mine, another Phoenix seminarian, whom I have known since he was a baby, knew he wanted to be a priest from the age of six. Not I. Although I grew up in the Faith, learning it at home and at the parish, and even got to go to daily Mass frequently, I never even considered the priesthood until I was 20. At that time I really did believe the claims of Christianity. I believed the Catholic Church to have been established by Jesus Christ. It all appealed to my reason, but that was about as far as it went. In my sophomore year of college God began to help me to see what the Second Vatican Council called the Universal Call to Holiness; every single Christian has a vocation to imitate Christ and to strive after personal holiness. Once I began to realize this, and to see my own responsibility as a Christian, I was able to hear God inviting me to serve Him and His Church as a priest.

At the time it seemed a truly impossible and even undesirable future. It was absolutely not what I wanted to do with my life. But with the grace of vocation came the graces of love, faith, and obedience. Thanks to this grace I applied to the seminary for the diocese where my New England college was located, and spent three years of seminary in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2016, I was given another invitation from the Father, this time to return to my home diocese of Phoenix, Arizona. When I look back on the years since I began discerning it is truly amazing what God has done for me and the good work He is accomplishing in my life. It is a true privilege to preparing to serve the Church as a priest.

• Parish: San Francisco de Asis, Flagstaff AZ
• College: College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
• High School: Homeschooled
• Grade School: Homeschooled
• Favorite Saint(s): Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Joseph, St. Philomena, St. Joan of Arc, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Thomas Becket

Harold Escarcega

Derivado de los fuertes fundamentos en la fe Católica que mi familia me inculcó, comencé a sentir mi llamado en la preparatoria (High School).

Me considero muy bendecido habiendo tenido ahí la oportunidad de profundizar en los escritos de muchos filósofos prevalentes a lo largo de la historia occidental.

Empecé a encontrar que todos los filósofos que estaba leyendo, especialmente como Aristóteles, estaban resonando profundamente dentro de mí, y estaban alentando en mi alma un deseo de ser bueno, una persona virtuosa; por la gracia de Dios, esos deseos encontraron su contraparte natural – mi fe católica- y rápidamente estuvieron incrustados en ella.

Consecuentemente, mis deseos de “virtud” y “bondad” fueron transformados en un profundo amor a Dios y el deseo de servirle. Este deseo de servirle, por las suaves caricias de Su llamado, poco a poco hicieron que pensara que era un llamado para mí al sacerdocio Católico. Después de mi graduación, asistí al Colegio Benedictino de Atchison, Kansas.

Estando en un excelente ambiente Católico, fue fácil oir la voz de Dios mientras me pedía más y más que entrara a la formación del seminario. Después de solamente un semestre, verdaderamente supe que Dios me estaba llamando a hacer a un lado mis preocupaciones y mis escrúpulos, y solo hacer eso.
Apliqué (para ingresar al seminario) y fui aceptado durante mi semestre de primavera en el Pontificio Colegio Josefino, y actualmente me encuentro estudiando en el programa de formación sacerdotal – verdaderamente en paz con mi discernimiento y recocijado por seguir el llamado de Dios a dejarlo todo y “ven y sígueme” (Marcos 1:17).

• Parroquia: Santa Juana de Arco, Santa Bernadette
• Escuela Preparatoria: Veritas Preparatory Academy
• Escuela Primaria: Homeschooled
• Santos favoritos: Santa Teresa de Lisieux, San Suan Pablo II y Santa Madre Teresa de Calcuta.

Ian Wintering

Mi camino que me llevó a donde hoy estoy no comenzó realmente hasta empecé a asistir a la escuela preparatoria Seton Catholic Preparatory High School.

Al inicio de mi año de senior (12o. grado), uno de mis amigos me había estado animando a ir al retiro que Seton tenía dos veces al año. El retiro se llamaba Kairos. Yo conocía muy poco acerca del retiro, así que pensé que podría también darle un vistazo.

El impacto que este retiro tuvo en mí fue indescriptible. Fue como si un montón de ladrillos me hubiesen caído encima. Nunca me había sentido tan amado por mis padres y por Dios que cuando regresé a casa del retiro.

Por primera vez me di cuenta que Dios estaba sediento de una relación personal conmigo. Y me di cuenta que mi fe era la razón para vivir. Fue después del retiro que decidí tomar mi fe seriamente. Fue también en esos retiros que por primera vez comencé a considerar mi llamado al sacerdocio.
El verano posterior a mi primer año de colegio, sentí la necesidad de hablar con un sacerdote. Así que llamé a mi párroco Fr. Will, e hice una cita con él. Desahogué todo y le dije lo que sentía. Él me preguntó si estaría yo dispuesto a vivir en la rectoría con él como parte de un proceso de discernimiento. Yo estaba abrumado por la alegría.

No pasó mucho tiempo cuando ya me había movido ahí y comenzó el proceso de aplicación (de ingreso al seminario). Cada día que pasaba mi deseo por el sacerdocio crecía con fuerza. Mi amor y deseo por Cristo había sobre pasado con mucho mis propias ambiciones. Mi vida de oración, el amor por la Eucaristía y el amor por los sacramentos nunca habían sido tan fuertes.

• Parroquia: Santa María Magdalena
• Escuela Preparatoria: Seton Catholic Preparatory
• Escuela Primaria: Academia Católica San Timoteo
• Santos favoritos: Nuestra Señora, San Juan Bosco, Santa Elizabeth Ann Seton, Santo Padre Pío, Santa María Magdalena.

Arom Burgueño

Gabriel Sabado

At a very young age, I experienced a profound stirring in my heart, a peaceful joy that overcame every kind of fear, anxiety, or trouble that crossed my mind.  It was a seed of Christ’s hope planted deep within my soul, growing slowly beneath the surface.  I desired to help ease the pain and suffering of everyone I encountered, especially those within my own family.  During high school and college, I fell victim to the secular culture.  I abandoned my humble Catholic upbringing and relied on myself for success.  It wasn’t until many years later, that I realized I had a ‘God-shaped’ hole in my heart that only Jesus Christ could satisfy.  It was then that I began to hear again “the call” to share in Christ’s Priesthood.

Reflecting on my past, I now see how at every moment, especially when all hope seemed lost, God was always present.  He was patiently calling me back home to be in communion with Him.  Through the love and guidance of Our Blessed Mother Mary, I am convicted in my desire to entrust my life and vocation to Jesus, who has freely given up His life for love of me.  In receiving His gift of infinite mercy and love, I offer myself back to Him in joyful gratitude proclaiming, “Here I am Lord, I come to do Your will.”

• Parish: St. Clare of Assisi
• High School: Belleville High School (Belleville, Michigan)
• Grade School: St. Anthony’s Academy (Belleville, Michigan)
• Favorite Saint(s): The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and St. John Marie Vianney

Anthony Dang

He tenido deseos de ser sacerdote desde que era niño. Cuando era pequeño, hacía como que era sacerdote y daba la Comunión. Al comenzar la escuela intermedia (Middle School), dejé de pensar acerca del sacerdocio. Estaba batallando con mi vida en ese tiempo. Algunas ocasiones me sentía deprimido y vacío. Estaba tratando de encontrar algo que llenara mi corazón.

Mi vida comenzó a cambiar en la preparatoria (High School). Cuando era freshman (primer año) mi abuelo sufrió un accidente de auto. Ese suceso me incitó a rezar el Rosario todos los días.

Un año después, algo me hizo pensar de nuevo en el sacerdocio. Una noche decidí rezar el Rosario. Pensamientos acerca del sacerdocio entraron en mi mente. A partir de entonces decidí esforzarme en ser santo orando más y ayudando en mi parroquia. Comencé a sentirme mejor conmigo mismo. Comprendí que Dios podia llenar mi vacío.

Sin embargo, tuve problemas para aceptar que posiblemente podría ser sacerdote. Pero eso cambió cuando fui a un retiro de discernimiento de un día. Después de entonces sentí paz pensando en el sacerdocio.

El verano siguiente contacté al director de Vocaciones, el Padre Paul Sullivan. Él me ayudó a responder todas las preguntas que yo tenía. Un par de meses después solicité mi ingreso al seminario y fui aceptado. Ahora estoy en mi primer año de seminario. Me siento emocionado por lo que Dios tiene guardado para mí en el futuro.

• Parroquia: Resurrección
• Escuela Preparatoria: McClintock High School
• Escuela Primaria: Bustoz Elementary School
• Santos favoritos: San Antonio de Padua, Santa María, San Francisco de Asís y San Pío de Pietrelcina.

Jesus Martinez

I was born in Cd. Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. I am the oldest of four children. My family and I migrated to the United States around 2003. We have resided in Phoenix, Arizona since then.

I graduated from Arizona State University on May of 2015. My desire to enter seminary began a few months after graduating. At that time, I was asking the Lord if it was okay to apply to law school. I decided to take a year off from my studies to remain in prayer and figure out if that was what God was calling me to do with my life. During that period of time I attended different retreats. I also started to attend daily mass. I feel like the Lord answer my question on December of 2015. During mass, at the moment of consecration, I felt a desire in my heart for the priesthood, which was something I had never thought of before. A few months later I met with Fr. Paul, our vocations director, and the Lord has led the way since then. I currently attend St. John Vianney Theological Seminary continuing to discern my vocation to holiness and priesthood.

• Parish: St. Augustine
• High School: St. Mary’s Catholic High School
• Grade School: Silvestre S. Herrera
• Favorite Saint(s): St. Padre Pio, St. Giuseppe Moscati, St. John Vianney, St. John Paul II and St. Jose Sanchez del Rio

Abraham Davalos

I was born in South Pasadena, in California, and my family moved to Avondale, AZ, when I was thirteen years old. I graduated from Estrella Mountain community college and took some courses at Kino Catechetical institute. I first felt the call to priesthood when I was seventeen and still attended youth group at St. John Vianney Parish in Goodyear AZ. During this time, I was growing in my relationship with Jesus and I felt a fervent desire and attraction toward his sacred heart and a zeal to make his name known. I had two gifted mentors Matthew Gonzales and David Portugal that prepared me to become a youth minister right after high school. I was hired at Blessed Sacrament in Tolleson AZ, I was blessed to serve four years there as youth minister. It was there that my faith was grounded even further in his sacred heart especially in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and my desire to seek out the priesthood became more profound. A few weeks into my second year at Blessed Sacrament I started meeting with Fr. Paul Sullivan to begin the discernment process and apply to be a seminarian. This is my first year as a seminarian and I am currently in the spirituality year in St. John Vianney Theological Seminary.

• Parish: Blessed Sacrament (Tolleson)
• High school: Agua Fria High school
• Grade school: El Sereno Middle School
• Favorite Saint(s): St. Damien of Molokai, St. Maximillian Kolbe St. Giuseppe Moscati, St. John Vianney, St. John Paul II, and St. Jose Sanchez del Rio

Andrew Olson

Being raised without religion, I began my search for God around middle school. Every step that I took to find something fulfilling beyond myself led me closer and closer to Jesus until He made Himself clearly known to me in the Blessed Sacrament at the end of high school. I knew then that any step of growth I could take would lead to the Church.

After going through RCIA, I received all of my sacraments at the All Saints Newman Center at Arizona State University on the Easter Vigil of 2014. Despite the comfort in my new life, the Lord began to draw more and more of my attention to the priesthood, less than a year after I was confirmed. Because of my recent conversion, applying to seminary right away felt a little rushed, but I was advised to start talking to Fr. Paul Sullivan to continue my discernment. The following year and a half was very trying and painful. As I approached my application, I found myself wanting nothing to do with my faith anymore. I considered my situation hopeless and lost all desire to continue my discernment. In prayer, Jesus asked if I still trusted Him. Because I wanted to trust Him more, I decided to recommit to my application and follow what I was given. My life completely brightened again as the Lord rekindled the joy that I had neglected. After a long and fruitful application, I was accepted in May of 2017.

My desire for faith and priesthood all began with a genuine request in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament: “Lord, I just want to understand.”  Since beginning seminary at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, I have never been happier.

• Parish: All Saints Newman Center, ASU
• High School: Glendale Preparatory Academy
• Grade School: Copper Creek Elementary
• Favorite Saint(s): St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Charbel Makhlouf, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, St. John Paul the Great

Miguel Solis

Soy Miguel Ángel Solís Ramírez y nací el 27 de septiembre de 1987 en La Piedad, Michoacán, México.

Mi familia es Católica, y mis padres Roberto y Bibiana se casaron dentro de la Iglesia Católica.

Soy el menor de seis hijos; mi hermana se llama Eva y mis cuatro hermanos son Rogelio, Rigoberto, Gustavo y Javier. Fui bautizado el 10 de enero de 1988. Mis padres me trajeron a los Estados Unidos en enero del 2000, cuando acababa de cumplir 12 años.

Empecé a pensar más sobre el sacerdocio después de un encuentro con el Obispo Nevares, quien me alentó a entrar al seminario.
Tomando esto como una señal de Dios, luego de tres años decidí ingresar al seminario.

Estoy emocionado por el llamado de Dios, y tengo la esperanza de ser fiel y simple instrumento de Su gracia.

• Parroquia: San Mateo (St. Matthew Catholic Church)
• Escuela Preparatoria: Central High School
• Escuela Primaria: Vina Danks Middle School
• Santos favoritos: San Juan Vianney, San Juan Pablo II y San Agustín

Dominic Bui

Creciendo en una activa familia Católica siempre escuché: “Tú deberías ser sacerdote cuando crezcas”. Siempre me encogía de hombros al oir eso cuando era chico.

Durante mi año de Junior en la High School hice mi retiro Kairos. El retiro fue un abridor de ojos para mí, así como sentía el amor de Dios a través de los demás. Mediante el retiro, el pensamiento de ser sacerdote se albergó en mi mente, pero este pensamiento se sentía diferente. Sentía calma y paz espiritual a través de él.

Orando en este pensamiento se hizo más fuerte, como un deseo o llamado. Contacté al Padre Paul Sullivan en el verano del 2013, y durante el resto de ese año seguiría hablando con él cuando visistaba la Preparatoria Notre Dame. Eventualmente llené las formas de solicitud requeridas por la Diócesis para ser aceptado (en el seminario).

Hay veces que pienso: “No entiendo, ¿por qué yo entre toda la gente? Si Dios me esta llamando, ¿por qué a mí? No te entiendo Dios”. Por supuesto que no lo entiendo. Después de todo, de las palabras de una persona sabia: “El Señor trabaja en caminos misteriosos”.

Solamente necesito confiar en la voluntad de Dios para mí y saber que haré lo correcto.

• Parroquia: Mártires Vietnamitas (Vietnamese Martyrs)
• Escuela Preparatoria: Notre Dame Preparatory High School
• Escuela Primaria: Nuestra Señora del Perpatuo Socorro –Glendale
• Santos favoritos: Hermana Yolanda Mendoza, San Agustín de Hippo, San Dominico Savio, Santo Domingo de Gumzmán y San Francisco Javier.

Noah Minton

I grew up as the middle child between two sisters, and the son of two zealous catholic parents. I lived in the same house in old town Scottsdale for my entire childhood, and went Veritas High School. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve formed a great respect and interest for the ways that God introduces beauty in our lives, especially in the visual arts and music. I’ve also always had a great love for physical activity and being outdoors. I found myself playing any sport I could find when I was younger, and some of my favorites became soccer, football, wrestling, and rugby. By the time I started high school, all of my interests dragged me in tons of different directions, and I was always very busy with all of the different activities that I was involved with. It often seemed, however, that I spent much of my time with different Catholic communities throughout Arizona. I was able to experience the joy and humanity of the priesthood from a very early age. My faith has been constant, and foundational in my life for as long as I can remember, and I believe that this is greatly attributed to my parents. They did something for my sisters and I that I believe is not incredibly common among catholic families today, and that was helping us to form a personal relationship with Christ. A personal relationship with the Lord is not one that easily fades, and in my case, it has helped me to know God’s voice, and discern a call to the priesthood.

• Parish: St. Maria Goretti
• High School: Veritas Preparatory Academy
• Grade School: Ville de Marie Academy
• Favorite Saint(s): Maximilian Kolbe, Pope John Paul the Great, Maria Goretti, Juan Diego, Peter, Anthony of Padua, Joseph

Nathan Blanchard

Among the more distinct memories of my childhood is that of playing ‘mass.’  My grandma had sewn dress-up vestments for me, and when I turned five my parents made me a clay paten and chalice to play with.  Although I really had no idea what the Mass even was at the time, it was this early pastime and encouragement which planted the seed of discernment.  If you had asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have responded by saying either an astronaut, or a priest.

I grew up in a loud family of eight, and all six of us kids were homeschooled from preschool through high school.  The year I turned seven we moved from our home in Gilbert, Arizona, where we were members of St. Anne’s parish, up to the northern reaches of the diocese, settling in Flagstaff, AZ, and the parish of San Francisco de Asis.  It was there that I did the majority of my growing up among the predominately protestant homeschoolers in the area.  Because of our Catholic Faith, my family and I stuck out.  There was no room for me to be lukewarm and so I did my best, with the help of my steadfast parents and older siblings, to grow deeper in my relationship with Christ.

When I was going into seventh grade, my older sister joined the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, and I suddenly became aware that the idea of a vocation was one I had to give some serious thought to.  Through God’s providence, I had the opportunity that same year to go on a week-long retreat, during which I felt God asking me to consider the priesthood.  Recalling my early memories, this idea came again to the forefront of my mind until I finally realized that the priesthood really was the vocation I wanted to pursue.

• Parish: San Francisco de Asis
• High School: Homeschooled
• Grade School: Homeschooled
• Favorite Saint(s):

Andrew Geerling

I grew up in a Catholic family which was active in my parish.  I never thought about the priesthood until my junior year of high school, when I began making time for a holy hour.  As I prayed, the idea of a priestly vocation kept reoccurring.  Later in the year I attended a St. Andrew’s Dinner and met several seminarians, which helped remove my fears of seminary. The next couple of months of prayer and discernment, before I contacted the vocations director, Fr. Paul Sullivan.  He answered most of my questions about discernment and I went through the diocesan seminarian application; that summer I went into my first year of minor seminary.

• Parish: St. Elizabeth Seton
• High School: Seton Home Study
• Grade School: Seton Home Study
• Favorite Saint(s): St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Theresa of Calcutta, and St. Louis

Simon Ortiz

Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
Be it done unto me according to thy word.

When I was a little boy, I always wanted to be a professional baseball player and I remember telling my mother, “Mom if there is ever a shortage of Priests, I will leave my baseball career and go to seminary!” The funny thing is, my baseball days ended in middle school and God’s will for my life became more evident later on down the road. During my sophomore year of high school, I attended the Diocese Multi-Parish retreat in Williams. On this retreat, I had my first thought that going to seminary could be a serious possibility. Towards the end of senior year, I found myself going to daily adoration and having a desire to know Christ and his church in a more intimate way through his Blessed Mother. It was during those Holy Hours that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to God’s call to the Priesthood even more. In June of 2017, I was accepted as a seminarian and it has been one of the biggest blessing I have received from the Lord. As I enter Seminary formation, I am determined to learn even more about Christ, his church, and his saints. I will follow Christ and trust in his will as his Mother did. For the only way to achieve true happiness is to die to self each and every day and to choose the Lord’s will over our own always.

• Parish: St. Maria Goretti
• High School: Saguaro High School
• Grade School: Pueblo Elementary, Mohave Middle School
• Favorite Saint(s): St.Maximilian Kolbe, St. Maria Goretti, St. Michael, St. Joseph, St. Jude, St. Peter

Erik Ochoa

I am Erik Javier Ochoa Amaya, and I was born in Hermosillo, Mexico, on June 8^th, 1999. I’m the second child out five, my four brothers are Victor, Andres, Pablo, and Alfonso. My parents are Francisco Ochoa and Flora Amaya who are still happily married. I came to the United States and was raised most of my life here. The four things I’ve studied most in my life are these things (in order): Catholicism, baseball, comics, Star Wars, and books. Those five things pretty much describe most of what I love.

Growing up I always wanted to get married, I was blessed to have my parents show the beauty of marriage to me. This desire would continue until the end of Sophomore year in high school, when I attended a retreat at my parish. It was there I first felt the calling of the priesthood. I didn’t take it too seriously, though I did take as a wake-up call to follow the path of holiness. Junior year, I really focused on getting back to the road of holiness. Senior year was when I really started to discern seriously of my vocation to the priesthood. I would meet with Fr. Paul, but more often I was blessed and fortunate to have Fr. Bolding and Mr. Ayala from St. Mary’s High School to help me discern. Currently, I am here in the seminary, continuing to discern my vocation to holiness and priesthood. I have whole list of people sent me in my life that have helped me and are still helping me on this journey.

• Home Parish: St. John Vianney
• High School: Saint Mary’s High School
• Grade School: Cheatham Elementary, Dunbar Elementary, and Pendergast Elementary
• Favorite Saint(s): Our Blessed Mother, St. Augustine, St. Daniel the Prophet, St. Rose of Lima, Bl. Miguel Pro, St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, St. Faustina, St. Pope John II, St. Mother Teresa, and St. Padre Pio

Marc Malovoz

Marc Malovoz was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1999 and then moved to Arizona with his parents and four sisters when he was four years old.  Marc’s parents, Christian and Gretchen Malovoz, fostered in him a love for the Catholic faith from the beginning of his life and were his first examples of how to live a life in Christ.  Along with his four sisters Marc was primarily home educated.  Home schooling gave him the opportunity to frequently participate in the Mass as an altar serve at his home parish of Saint Mary Magdalene in Gilbert.  It was through a frequent reception of the sacraments that he began to experience the call to the priesthood.  The Diocese of Phoenix is blessed to have many priests who joyfully live out their vocation; Marc was influenced greatly by the joy and dedication that many priests live out daily.  Marc also enjoys playing the piano.  He took formal lessons for nine years and learned to apply himself by working hard at perfecting this skill.  Also, staying physically active is very important to him and he enjoys swimming and playing soccer.  Marc encourages all men and women to follow in the words of Christ and to not be afraid to answer their vocation that God wills for them.

• Parish:
• High School:
• Grade School:
• Favorite Saint(s):

Peter Lukaszewski

I was born April 14th, 1999 as the fourth of what is now nine children. My family has always been a source of hope and joy for me even amidst the quarreling and craziness. God can speak to us through others and looking back at the joy and beauty of my life so far, I find that every moment of happiness and beauty was just God speak to me of his beauty and goodness. One of my earliest memories of even considering a vocation to the priesthood was playing “mass” with my brothers and sisters using crackers and grape juice. My brother Chris and I discovered early on how useful our bunk bed was for talking about the mysteries of life late at night. I had the top bunk so I got to lean half my body over the edge of the bed to ask him questions that I had thought up while lying in the darkness pondering with my little 8-year-old mind. He shared my curiosity and love of learning. Together we would zoom through books devouring the stories in them. They were usually fantasy books because we loved to read them. I couldn’t put to words back then what it was in those books that attracted me but I know now that it is real love. It is the true sacrificial love of the characters in these books, as they are thrown by circumstance into this fight of good and evil and yet choose to give of themselves to save those they love and those who could not defend themselves, that captured my imagination and heart. I read these books because they resonated with my desire for “the more”. Deep within each of us is this desire to live for something other than ourselves and even then I was feeling it.

I was raised Catholic and learned a lot in my 13 years of Catholic school but until the summer of my Freshman year of high school, my faith was murky and confusing. I had seen love. I had seen beauty. I had been taught truth but I had not yet seen what was behind these. It was an aimless faith. During Saturday night adoration at a Steubenville Conference in Tuscon that summer, I finally came to understand what “the more” that I desired was. It was there that I first really gazed upon the Eucharist with intention and I suddenly just knew… I knew what we mean when we say the body of Christ. In that moment I realized I was in the presence of God and that he loves me unconditionally. Here was Love, here was Truth, here was Beauty. Here was what my heart burned for. Even more than that, here was a person who loved me so much that He had created me from nothing for no other reason than that he loved me. Existing out of time, He had seen every sin I have committed and will ever commit, and yet He still loves me and created me despite that. He had come down and taken on “the form of a slave” and died on that cross for the whole world but also in that moment he had died specifically for me. As He cried out “Father forgive them!…” he was thinking of me and my sins. You would think that this would be enough, the giving of his very own life but it wasn’t. He wants to give more. At the Last Supper, He gave us his body so that he would always be with us until the end of time. In every Catholic church and chapel around the world, right now, he is waiting for me personally just to see me and to be with me. Here was God Himself. All of this went through my head as I knelt there gazing on Him whom I had just found knowing that he gazed back.

This one moment has defined much of the last 4 years of my life. I have been to mass nearly every day in that time and because of it, my joy and love have only increased. This is getting long so, long story short, as I grew in relationship with my Lord and my time at Bourgade neared its end, I began to ask myself what I wanted to do with my life and an altogether more difficult question: what does He want me to do? I have discovered that there is no easy answer. Marriage is beautiful and so is the priesthood. Both require that total giving of self, that true love. I knew that the love that I have received from Him who calls to me is a love that I cannot keep to myself, no matter what my vocation turns out to be. I am now a seminarian after much prayer and many adoration hours and one more moment of grace. On Bourgade’s Kairos retreat last February, I was serving as one of the retreat leaders and it happened that I was to be the altar server to follow Fr. Kurt around the dark room with a candle as he took the Eucharist in the monstrance from person to person. It was a moment of the Holy Spirit outpouring into that room and I got to see it all. I saw the anguish, gratitude, love and deep contrition upon the faces of my classmates as Christ himself was brought before them. I was watching Christ come to people. I was in my own way bringing Christ to others lighting the way for him. It was in this moment that I lost all my reservations about never having a family of my own or of the difficulty of the work because I saw that and said to myself, “That is what I am called to do. I want to bring Christ to his people in the way only priests can.

• Parish: Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral
• High School: Bourgade Catholic
• Grade School: OLPH Glendale and St. Catherine of Siena
• Favorite Saint(s): Pope Saint John Paul the Second (JPII whoop whoop!), St. Padre Pio, St. Peter, Blessed Miguel Pro, St. Maria Goretti, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta

Victor Fructuoso Bravo

I want to credit my desire to be a priest to Mary, Most Holy Mother of God:  The Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  It was she who brought me closer to her son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  My deep devotion to her made me realize that I could not simply love her without loving her son.  During my consecration to her Immaculate Heart, I experienced for the first time a true desire of becoming a priest.  After several years of discerning (in prayer) and asking God what He wanted for me, I made the decision to enter the seminary and to consider Mary as the mother of my vocation.  With her guidance, and Christ’s love, I hope to serve others.  With God’s Will, I — Victor H. Fructuoso B. — will become a priest of Christ.

• Home Parish: St. Augustine
• High School: Independence High School
• Grade School: 
• Favorite saints: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the cross, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati

Jesus de la Torre

I was born in Long Beach, CA, in 1998 and lived there up until I finished Kindergarten. From there, my family moved to Laveen, AZ, and we have lived there for about 14 years now. My family consists of my mom, dad, older sister, and younger brother. My mom, Maria, was born in a small town in Mexico called Totatiche, and my dad, also Jesus, was born in Zacatecas, Mexico. My older sister, Sandra, was also born in Long Beach and is currently attending ASU. My younger bother, Miguel Angel, was born here in Phoenix and is in 4^th grade. I attended Betty H. Fairfax High School and am currently attending the great Pontificial College Josephinum.

Since the end of high school was fast approaching, I began thinking about my life after high and I came up with a couple ideas. First, there was the option of joining the missionaries from my parish, St. Vincent de Paul, and do missions with them. There was also the possibility of going to college, a couple choices including South Mountain, NAU, and Benedictine. From these previous possibilities, the idea of the priesthood developed because of my desire to serve the people as well as my interest in philosophy and theology. This ongoing decision to join the seminary really strengthened when I attended a pre-vocational retreat, funny enough hosted by the missionaries from my parish, and from there I decided to go with what God had in store for me!

• Parish: St. Vincent de Paul
• High School: Betty H. Fairfax High School
• Grade School: Magnet Traditional School
• Favorite Saint(s): St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Vincent, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Maria Goretti