Twenty-four new seminarians, including 11 studying for service in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, have begun their studies at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo.

The men were welcomed at the annual opening Mass celebrated Aug. 31 at the seminary, with Cardinal Roger Mahony presiding. In his homily, the cardinal urged the new seminarians to "take on the heart of Jesus," as suggested in the day's Gospel reading from Luke.

"Jesus announces who he is and what he is about," said the cardinal. "He is strength for those suffering and the poor. Let us have our eyes fixed intently on Jesus."

Those words resonated with new seminarians Gregorio Hidalgo and Paolo Garcia. Hidalgo, born near Toledo, Spain, said he came to Los Angeles neither very religious nor practicing his faith. Talented musically, material success became his downfall, he admitted.

"I came from a very poor family," he said. "And when I came here to Los Angeles I started making money." As a middle school teacher in Compton, he was able "to purchase things and go anywhere - MP3 players, computers. Those purchases owned me."

His call to priesthood began in the midst of success and sadness. When Pope John Paul II died, Hidalgo experienced an unbelievable sadness. "I spent the whole day crying, and I didn't know why. It was like a wound was opened and the healing started right there. I had the urge to go back to church and go back to Mass and prayer."

At Mass he would look at the priest and say to himself, "I want to be that guy. I want to be him."

"I thought it was crazy after my past life," he said. "All of a sudden God was not only bringing me to the church but to this wonderful journey - the priesthood. It was so slow and so gentle - very unexpected. I guess God had to keep chasing me."

Paolo Garcia has spent the last two years teaching at his alma mater, St. Anthony High School in Long Beach. Raised in St. Lucy Parish, Garcia was not exactly "chased by God," but one of his earliest remembrances is of playing "pretend priest" as a five-year-old.

"God was generous," he said, citing the influence of three priests: his pastor, Father Mike Roebert for "his passion for his people and a humble approach"; Father Ricky Viveros, with "his enthusiasm and being open to God's presence - truly loving his people"; and Father Jose Magana, pastor at St. Anthony, where Garcia has been teaching.

"People are very hungry and thirsty for God," said Garcia, who as a teacher has worked with inner city kids from "underserved, low-resourced neighborhoods. The lessons really counted, but more importantly the kids need to know they are loved and someone cares for them. We have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, as Cardinal Mahony said, and extend Christ's love to those most in need and most vulnerable."

The cardinal emphasized that the goal of formation and education in the seminary "is not just to have the knowledge and the experience. The most precious goal of all is that you have the very heart of Jesus. This Gospel is a good place to begin to learn what is the heart of Jesus. Looking at him intently, listening carefully to his words, following his movements, watching and imitating his example --- that is knowing the heart of Jesus. And then making that our goal so that our own hearts and our own lives next to Jesus become one."

Diverse group
"These new seminarians bring many life experiences that will both enrich our community now and will serve them well in priestly ministry in the future," said Msgr. Craig Cox, St. John's rector-president. "As they take this step in their ongoing discernment of God's will, we ask the people of the Archdiocese to be praying for them and for all of us at St. John's."

New seminarians studying for service in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (which includes Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties) are:

Jeffrey Baker and Joshua Diener, Holy Family, Glendale; Luis Estrada, St. John of God, Norwalk; Paolo Garcia, St. Lucy, Long Beach; Gregorio Hidalgo, St. Monica, Santa Monica; Michael Magallanes, Our Lady of Lourdes, Northridge; Matthew Murphy, Blessed Kateri Tekawitha, Santa Clarita; Juan Ochoa, St. Stephen of Hungary, Los Angeles; Gerardo Pantoja, Our Lady of the Assumption, Los Angeles; Parker Sandoval, St. Bernardine of Siena, Woodland Hills; and Antoine "Tony" Wassef, St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood (previously St. Peter Chanel, Hawaiian Gardens).

New seminarians studying for other dioceses or for service as members of religious communities are: Benjamin Diep Hoang and David Otto, Diocese of Orange; Carlos Martinez, Toan Ngoc Pham and William Wambach, Diocese of San Bernardino; Shawn Dresden and Jesus Garcia, Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; Luis Gabriel Lupercio, Congregation of Jesus and Mary (Eudists); Phuuc Hoang Mai, Archdiocese of Saigon, Vietnam; Jonathan Mpagi and Alexander Muddu, Archdiocese of Kampala, Uganda; Toshio V. Sato, Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians); and Brother Patrick Sheridan, Benedictine Abbey of St. Andrew, Valyermo.

In addition, 15 men are in residence at Juan Diego House of Formation in Gardena, where they attend college while living in a supportive environment that deepens their appreciation for spiritual and liturgical life. They are: Rick Alonso, Omar Arellano, Juan Martin Barajas, Joseph Choi, Luis Espinoza, Tim Grumbach, Dac Ha, Van Iakopo, Jeremiah Riley, Juan Rojas, Miguel Angel Ruiz, Simeon Song, Ethan Southard, Scotty Stillman and Santiago Vazquez.

Father Jim Anguiano is director of the Juan Diego House of Formation. (For information, call (310) 516-6671, or visit www.juandiegohouse.org.)

In this, the "Year for Priests" as proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, "we give thanks for the gift of priesthood and for the more than 1,200 priests who have been trained at St. John's since our founding," added Msgr. Cox, a 1978 ordinand from St. John's. More than two dozen priests educated at St. John's have become bishops.

On Sept. 20, five distinguished alumni of St. John's Seminary will be honored at the second annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner to be held at the seminary. This year's honorees are Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Sartoris, Msgrs. Wilbur Davis, John Fosselman and Royale Vadakin, and Mr. Neil Parent.

The event is part of the 70th anniversary celebration taking place throughout 2009-10 at the seminary. For information, call (805) 389-2036.