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49 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2026 Christic seal on our foreheads through the Chrism [holy oil] that we receive. In being ordained a priest, I was again anointed with this oil, with my hands being smeared with Chrism so that I can administer the sacraments and hold the Body and Blood of the Savior. In undertaking the ministry of priest, I am reminded of the depiction of Christ in Isaiah 63: "I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. … I looked, but there was no helper; I stared, but there was no one to sustain me. … He said, 'Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me.'" In priesthood, I desire to be a companion of Christ who will trod the winepress with him as his friend. Accompanying Christ in this salvific work as a friend of the Bridegroom gives new life and fire to my life as a co-worker in his vineyard. How do you see the connection between Baptism and your own call to the priesthood? T he day of my Baptism was the day I was taken from sin and rededicated to God the Father as his beloved son in Jesus Christ. My call to the priesthood is simply the ful- fillment of that renunciation and ded- ication, not only as his son, but also his companion and intimate friend. These lifelong commitments have given my life new meaning, that I who live might live no longer for myself but for him who for my sake died and was raised. FAT H E R J O N AT H A N FR A N CO I S Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA Home Parish: St. Gianna Beretta Molla Parish, Denver How do you see the connection between Baptism and your own call to the priesthood? G od has relentlessly pursued me my whole life. Through our Baptism, God has stamped his FAT H E R DA N I E L R I VA S Hometown: Denver, CO Home Parish: Ascension Parish, Denver