Denver Catholic

VOCATIONS I 3 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER I FEBRUARY 26, 2014 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 He's been called humble, compassionate and simple and has captured the world's atten- tion for his honest and some- times humorous commentary. In honor of Pope Francis' ap- proaching one-year anniversary as pontiff in March, the Denver Catholic Register will capture the impact he's had on the lives of people in the local Church. The Register invites you to share how the pope has changed your faith. Has Pope Francis led you back to the Church? Has he been a part of your faith journey? Have you felt the Francis Effect? TELL US: ARE YOU FEELING THE #FRANCISEFFECT? Share your story on Twitter with @DCRegister and include the hashtag #FrancisEffect. You can also submit your story at www. DenverCatholicRegister.org or email us at info@archden.org with your contact information. Meet the seminarians to be ordained deacons this week Industries, from violating their religious beliefs when provid- ing employee mandated health insurance. Therrien, a moral theologian, will address the principles of the Catholic moral teaching in the ACA itself and matters of conscience. "In a nutshell, I want to look at the plan in the light of the Church's moral principles and Catholic social teaching," he told the Register. He also plans to speak on sys- tematic structural issues related to the ACA, a topic he said that doesn't get much conversation. "I would like to raise aware- ness that there are many prob- lems with this law on a struc- tural level," he continued. "Be- sides the morally compromised position we are in with respect to conscience and cooperation with evil." The event will begin with a rosary at 5:45 p.m. at Holy Ghost Church at 1900 Califor- nia St. followed by 6:15 p.m. Mass celebrated by Archbishop Samuel Aquila. The panel will begin at 7:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and free parking will be available in the lot at 19th and Welton streets. A light dinner will be served. RSVP via email to den- vercathmed@gmail.com by March 14. For more on the Catholic Medical Association, visit www.denvercma.org. As a step in their priest- hood formation, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila will ordain three seminarians to the di- aconate during a Mass set for 10 a.m. March 1 at the Cathe- dral Basilica of the Immacu- late Conception. Those to be ordained are: Gregory Louis Lesher, Joseph Marc McLag- an and Franklin Anastacio Sequeira Treminio. Profiles of the men follow. You can watch the Mass live online at: www.DenverCatholicRegister. org. Name: Gregory Louis Lesher Birthdate: Sept. 13, 1984 Born and reared: Born in Chicago and raised in Bolingbrook, Ill. (southwest suburb of Chicago) Seminary: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, Denver Q: Describe your edu- cational and professional background before entering formation. A: Education: Earned a mas- ter's degree in international development with a concen- tration in humanitarian as- sistance from the University of Denver in 2008. I did the 4-plus-1 program at DU which merged undergraduate and graduate school together, so I received both degrees simulta - neously in 2008. Professional background: Resident assistant at DU for two years in a freshmen resi- dence hall. Q: When did you first feel called to the priesthood? A: God placed this longing to be a priest in my heart when I was 11 or 12. But throughout high school and as an under- grad I very much ran away from my vocation. As I was fin- ishing undergrad studies and applying to graduate school God spoke to me again about the priesthood. I still stub- bornly tried to run away for an- other two years but God grad- ually convinced me to apply to seminary in my second year of graduate school. Q: What is your favorite pastime? A: Currently my favorite pas- time is archery. I have been shooting a little over a year now and this year I began compet- ing. In January I won the first Colorado state archery com- petition in the adult traditional class (only using a recurve bow with nothing else added like a sight). I am also an avid biker and between my philosophy years I fulfilled my dream of biking coast to coast across the United States. Q: How do you feel about this step in your priesthood formation of being ordained to the diaconate? A: I am very excited to be taking this step and being able to more fully share in the min- istry. I can't wait to preach, to baptize and to bless in the name of God and the Church. Name: Joseph Marc McLagan Birthdate: Dec. 26, 1985 Born and reared: Born in Kansas City, Mo.; reared in Grandview, Mo., and Littleton, Colo. Seminary: St. John Vianney Theo- logical Seminary, Denver Q: Describe your educational and professional background before entering formation. A: Graduated from High- lands Ranch High School in 2004; graduated from Arapahoe Community College in 2006 with an associate's degree in general studies; graduated from the University of Northern Col- orado in Greeley in 2008 with a bachelor of arts in philosophy and a minor in history. Q: When did you first feel called to the priesthood? A: By the time I had moved to Greeley to study philosophy, I was questioning my identity: who was I, what am I about and where am I going? These ques- tions kept recurring. However, through some good direction by friends, I began to get in- volved with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) in attending Bible studies and forming friendships there. I also got involved in the university par- ish, St. Peter's. With my questions receiving answers and my prayer life growing, I began to trust in the Lord. I went to teach Totus Tuus in the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyo., for two summers, and one summer in the Archdiocese of Denver before entering seminary. All along the way, the Lord and I were deepening our relationship with each other. Through these summers of Totus Tuus the Lord was showing me the call he had for me, and I was truly grateful to have said yes. Q: What is your favorite pastime? A: My favorite pastimes in no particular order: prayer, playing sports among friends (golf, bas- ketball, flag football, volleyball) camping and hiking, fishing, brewing a good beer, reading and engaging the intellectual life and the arts. Q: How do you feel about this step in your priesthood forma- tion of being ordained to the diaconate? A: I am excited about this step. I trust that the Lord has me where he wants me. Name: Franklin Anastacio Sequeira Treminio Birthdate: Aug. 21, 1980 Born and reared: Born in Matagalpa, Nicaragua; reared in Ciudad Dario, Nicaragua Seminary: Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary Q: Describe your educational and professional background before entering formation. A: I graduated in 1998 from a Catholic high school named Ru- ben Dario Institute run by the Franciscans in Ciudad Dario, Nicaragua, my hometown. Be- fore entering the seminary, I was doing my second year of college in the Universidad de las Americas located in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. I was pursuing a bachelor's degree in business administration. In the meantime I worked part time as a taxi driver for my grandfather in my home town. Q: When did you first feel called to the priesthood? A: I was 15 when I first heard that God was calling me to the priesthood. One of the aspects that influenced my calling to the priesthood is the fact of hav- ing been raised in a Catholic family that introduced me at 13 to an itinerary of Christian for- mation, the Neocatechumenal Way. Q: What is your favorite past time? A: Being with my family. Q: How do you feel about this step in your priesthood forma- tion of being ordained to the diaconate? A: I feel very excited about it, but I step forward into it with the conviction that it is the Lord who has called me and that he is the one who is going to give me the graces necessary to give my life totally to the Church, God's people. GREGORY LOUIS LESHER JOSEPH MARC MCLAGAN FRANKLIN ANASTACIO SEQUEIRA TREMINIO

• Cover