Ruben Riojas serving as an altar server at St. Joseph Parish, before he had any dreams about becoming a priest. His father, Ruben, Jr., said he was surprised when his son said he wanted to be a priest because of his son’s typical upbringing.
Contributed photo
Even though seminarian Ruben Riojas has been studying to be a priest at St. Joseph Seminary in Covington, Louisiana, his family ties in the Coastal Bend remain strong.
The 22-year-old was born in Corpus Christi and grew up in Alice as a parishioner of St. Joseph Church. Ruben and his father, Ruben, Jr., mother Belinda, and younger sister Brenda all attended Mass regularly and still do today. They are also involved in various parish events and activities and both father and son are in the Knights of Columbus.
“I remember going to church, and there was this lady who would always ask me when I was going to go to the seminary to become a priest,” recalls Ruben. “I thought I was going to get married and have kids, but instead, God has placed me on the path to the priesthood.”
Ruben points out that most of his fellow seminarians were called to be priests when they were much younger. It was not until he was about to enter his senior year in high school that he realized God was calling him to be a priest. Though the timing of his decision differed from those of his peers, Ruben sees his time at St. Joseph’s as an integral part of his discernment process.
The Riojas family are active parishioners at St. Joseph in Alice. Both father and son have been knights in the Knights of Columbus for many years. In this photo, the Riojas are with one of their parish priests, from left, Brenda, Ruben, Jr., Father Mathew Jaison, Ruben and Belinda. Contributed photo |
“St. Joseph’s is a very lively parish,” says Riojas. “Everyone there is very supportive, and that only helped to affirm my vocation even more.”
Ruben’s mother, Belinda, recalls that his journey to the seminary all started with a question from Father Richard Libby. “Six years ago, he asked Ruben if he would like to be an altar server, and I said, ‘he would,’ but Father Libby smiled and told me he was asking my son and not me!”
Ruben was an altar server and regularly attended religious education classes, and was even selected to serve at the Christmas Mass despite having only one week’s experience. These experiences drew him closer to the Eucharist, which set in motion his current spiritual journey.
Although his family has been unequivocally supportive of Ruben’s vocation to the priesthood, they were somewhat surprised when he first told them of his calling.
“He had a typical upbringing. I can even remember when he wanted to be a high school music teacher,” recalls his father. “But his decision to become a priest has actually deepened our faith as a family.”
His mother echoes the sentiment. “We are so proud of him,” Belinda says. “We know his studies take so much time, but we just want to see it happen for him.”
“We are excited that he will be home for Christmas, and we value our time together as a family,” she added. “But we know that when he is here, he will spend more time at his parish home than he will here with us.”
“I think of that parable about the mustard seed,” reflects Riojas. “I have grown my faith here and it will be a blessing to be back home with my family for Christmas as I continue to offer prayers for more vocations to the priesthood.”