I am 38 years old, born and raised in Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico. I am the sixth of eight children, born to Francisco Rios and Maria de Jesus Gomez. My father was a farm worker (labrador), my mother a housewife.

As a close-knit Catholic family, Sunday Mass was very important to us, as was regularly praying the rosary. My father was a great provider with the little means that he had, and my entire family worked with my dad in the fields. We had many happy times and I treasure the memories of those days in Mexico.

During my early years of schooling, I was an altar boy and the desire to be a priest started then. Father Salvador, my childhood pastor, was a very important and influential person in my life. My dream was to be a great priest, just like him. But he died suddenly, leaving an emptiness in my life, and my desire to become a priest vanished from my mind. Instead, I finished high school and decided to help my family financially, which influenced my decision to come to the U.S.

I came to North Hollywood, lived with my sister and her family, and had a series of jobs --- tree trimming for several years, and several more years working at Del Taco and Burger King, acquiring experience that enabled me to get a management position with Baja Fresh. I ended up as a Baja Fresh district manager overseeing five L.A. locations and supervising new store openings, hiring and training procedures.

My job allowed me to advance myself financially and live what I considered to be a very successful life. I was able to travel all over the U.S., very content with my lifestyle and energized by working in the corporate world. During those years the thought of priesthood never entered my mind, even though I remained a church-going Catholic.

But right before Christmas 2002, a friend who volunteers at Juvenile Hall in Sylmar invited me to join her for a Christmas gathering with the incarcerated there. Soon after that, I found myself going every Wednesday and Sunday to meet with the juveniles and assisting at the Mass. To my surprise, my childhood desire to become a priest like Father Salvador was rekindled, a desire that intensified as I pursued this longing in my heart to serve God and his people, especially those most in need.

Yet as much as my desire to be a priest deepened, it was also very scary because I had to give up my well-paying job and successful career in order to go back to school and complete my college education. It seems like such a long journey --- but I am convinced that I need to persevere because my heart and soul tell me that God is calling me to this, that God will give me the strength and the patience to carry out his will.

Seriously, I have never been happier! The Vocation Office of the Archdiocese has been very supportive and helpful. I am grateful for the privilege of being able to see, up close, how parish priests live and minister, having lived for two years in the rectory of St. Finbar Church, Burbank. I am committed to continuing my discernment of God's will through regular meetings with my spiritual director, fulfilling my commitment to spending daily quality time with Jesus in prayer, attending retreats and continuing to volunteer at Juvenile Hall every Sunday. These are essential in staying connected to God and to my heart's deepest desire: to be a priest.

I have felt God's love for me so intensely and am so convinced that God is calling me that I am willing to do anything to serve him with my life. All my former goals and successes in life pale in comparison to what I feel when I think of serving God and helping people to know God and God's love for them, just as I have experienced his love and awesome presence in my life.

This is part of a periodic series spotlighting those in formation for priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For information on priesthood, contact the Office of Vocations, (213) 637-7248.