Denver Catholic

5 DENVER CATHOLIC | MAY 28-JUNE 10, 2016 FATHER FERNANDO LONDOÑO Fernando Londoño was born and raised in Colom- bia. He is 32 years old, and has been in seminary for the past 10 years. He says his vocation began when his father died in April 2005, when Londoño came back to the Church. Londoño studied at Redemptoris Mater Sem- inary, meaning he will be ordained a missionary priest. However, his fi rst assignment is at Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora. As a new priest, Lon- doño simply wants to share the mercy of the Lord, the same mercy he's experienced in his life. "One thing I have seen is that God has been merciful in my life, so out of gratitude, I just want others to know that there is mercy," he said. "I never understood the meaning of my suŸ ering until I came to know the love of Christ." FATHER MATTHEW MAGEE After eight years of seminary, Matthew Magee was ready to become a priest. "Despite the length of seminary formation—and all the ups and downs that it entails—my desire for priesthood has grown more and more. I am humbled by the fact that the Lord has called me and Holy Mother Church has a´ rmed this call," he said. He also said that his ordination has humbled him. Luckily, he also said that humility is the qual- ity he most appreciates in other priests. "The reality of priest- hood is certainly daunting, but I am getting more and more excited to serve the Lord in the path He has chosen for me," he said Father Magee's fi rst assignment is at St. Michael, Craig; St. Igna- tius, Rangely; and Holy Family, Meeker. FATHER THOMAS NGUYEN Thomas Nguyen's family has known he would be a priest since he was a small child. Now, at the age of 32, he has made their dreams a reality. "My grandparents always prayed that God would choose some of their oŸ spring to be his priests," Nguyen said. "My parents always thought I would become a priest, but they never said it out loud." Nguyen said he has enjoyed his time in semi- nary, but looks forward to parish life. He expects the fi rst year to be a time of transition. "In seminary, you have professors to teach you; in the parish, people will look to you to teach them," he said. "Therefore, the biggest adjustment moving from the seminary to the parish is concerning the way you relate to God in the midst of change." FATHER SALVADOR SÁNCHEZ-GASCA Salvador Sán- chez- Gasca hails from Guanajuato, Mexico. He comes from a very Cath- olic family, and fondly remembers singing very loudly in Mass and asking his Grandma to read him scripture when he was young. Growing up, Sán- chez- Gasca viewed priests as being heroes because they were always available for those who needed them, especially the sick and the dying, he said. He also admired the amount of wisdom that priests seemed to have. As a new priest, he is excited to share these very same qualities with the faithful of Denver and be a hero to them. "I feel so happy and excited," Sánchez- Gasca said. "Some nights I wake up with a great joy in my heart and I can't fall asleep again."

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