Father Mauricio CarrascoI was ordained a priest on May 26, 2012, when I was 27 years old. This is the date for the Feast of St. Philip Neri, a saint whom I love. The best part of being a priest is being a spiritual father. About four years ago, as I was coming back to the rectory from a Christmas Eve Mass, I remember praying as I was driving home. All of a sudden, a deep sense of gratitude welled up within my heart. It was almost as if at that moment Someone had said to me: "Here it is, you have what your heart has always desired.” And I thought: “That is right! All I ever wanted to be is a father.” All of my joys as a priest could easily be captured by that grace or blessing, the calling to be a spiritual father. That experience in prayer was so real and powerful, I could still tell you today the exact place on the road where I experienced it. I am fully aware that I have a long ways to go before I become the kind of spiritual father that the Lord wants me to be. I am grateful for the parishes that the Lord has called me to serve thus far; each of them has helped shape me into the kind of father the Lord wants me to be.
I am looking forward to serving Assumption Church in Atkins, and continuing to serve St. Augustine Church in Dardanelle, and St. Andrew Church in Danville. |
Father Omar Galvan
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