Two seminarians share
their vocation stories

 

Seminarians Carlos De La Rosa, at left, and Charles Silvas will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on June 5 at 10 a.m. in Corpus Christi Cathedral. Both seminarians are completing their studies at the Theological College at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Vincent Castaldi, Seminarian from the Archdiocese of New York | for STC

Editor’s note: Bishop Michael Mulvey invites everyone to the diaconate ordination of seminarians, Carlos De La Rosa and Charles Silvas on June 5 at 10 a.m. at Corpus Christi Cathedral. Both seminarians will be completing their studies at Theological College in Washington DC and are scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood in June of 2022. These are their stories:

Carlos De La Rosa
 

Carlos De La Rosa

The possibility of becoming a priest has been on my heart since I was a young child. Growing up, I was very active at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish and attended various youth events and served at the altar. I began to encounter many holy priests who shepherded me, my classmates, and my friends throughout this time – most evident when I started my studies at St. John Paul II, where many priests were on the faculty. 

They blessed us by being pastorally present in our lives, which involved hearing our confessions to attending retreats and sporting events. It was remarkably beneficial to hear about their experiences and how they lived out their presbyteral ministry and to see them in action. Not only hearing about their ministry but experiencing it firsthand was an important part of my discernment. 

During my sophomore class retreat, I had a very powerful and affirming experience during confession, which helped me have a deep understanding of the mercy of God. I never forgot the words of the confessor that day. He said, “Your sins don’t define you.” Those five words changed my life. I had never seen myself through this new lens of mercy. It was a new experience, but I realized it would be important later in my life. 

Later, on the same day of the retreat, I realized that God had just affirmed, in a profound way, the calling which I had heard for my entire life. I realized that He was calling me to be an agent of His mercy as a priest. I heard Him call me to give up everything and follow Him so that others might also experience His mercy. From that point forward, my life has been about learning how to lose myself so that, in the light of His mercy, I can find myself for the sake of the people of God.

In the fall of 2013, I entered Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving to pursue an undergraduate degree in Philosophy. In 2017, Bishop Mulvey asked me to attend Theological College, at the Catholic University of America, in Washington D.C., for graduate studies in theology. I currently reside in the district. This journey has been, thus far, an extraordinary one in which I have come to both lose and find myself through God’s mercy. 

The formation process to be a priest is a long and intense journey in which we are formed in many dimensions. In the human dimension, we constantly wrestle with the image we have of our own holiness and the image that God has. We constantly seek to lose our image so that we can find Christ’s image. It is this image of Christ, which is startlingly merciful and often in stark contrast to our own. I believe each year we more fully come to know and be conformed to Christ’s image so that we may image Christ the Good and Merciful Shepherd one day.   

Looking back on my formation thus far, it is the presbyterate in our great diocese, which has inspired me and shepherded me. I feel tremendously blessed and humbled to, very soon, be able to call the many priests who have been shepherds for me, brothers. In the Diocese of Corpus Christi, we are blessed with many good and holy priests who want nothing more than for the laity to be more deeply drawn into the sheepfold of Christ’s mercy.  
 

Charles Silvas

Charles Silvas

I am preparing to enter my final year of seminary formation at Theological College and my fourth year of theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I entered the seminary in August 2012 and look forward to being ordained a transitional deacon this June 2021, and God willing, a priest in 2022. As I reflect on my journey towards the priesthood, three themes stand out: The Eucharist, the example of good priests, and my family.

There was never a time in my life when the vocation to the priesthood did not resonate within me. From a very young age, I wanted to become a priest. I always enjoyed going to Mass, where I first encountered priestly ministry. Growing up, I attended St. Joseph Church in Corpus Christi, where I was an altar server for many years. I was also fortunate to receive a Catholic education at Holy Family Elementary, Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School, and St. John Paul II High School.

Receiving a Catholic education has allowed me another opportunity to be an altar server outside of Sunday Mass, which I enjoyed and looked forward to. While in high school, I played football, continued as an altar server, and tried my best to be faithful to daily Mass.

The Mass was the primary way I learned that the priest feeds the people with the Eucharist, who are sent as witnesses to their encounter with God in their lives. When I entered seminary, I quickly learned that to “feed the people,” the priest must first be fed and nourished by his relationship with Christ in the Eucharist. During my visits to the Blessed Sacrament, I gradually received confirmation and peace from God about my vocation to the priesthood. Before the Blessed Sacrament, personal prayer continues to be an essential invitation for me to listen to God’s voice, see my own need for conversion, and allow Him to conform my heart to His.

Being an active altar server in high school, I had the opportunity to serve at several diocesan events, where I met Bishop Emeritus Edmond Carmody and Father Peter Elizardo, who was master of ceremonies at the time. Both Bishop Emeritus Carmody and Father Elizardo helped guide me in my discernment, and they continue to be great mentors and support in my formation towards the priesthood. 

Bishop Emeritus Carmody possesses a great pastoral charity and sensitivity to the needs of the people, and Father Elizardo expresses a great pastoral zeal for the Church through his ministry. Both expressions of priestly ministry complement each other and have been very influential in my discernment and seminary formation. I am particularly grateful for their continued support, guidance, and encouragement throughout my time in seminary.

My family has also had a significant role in my vocation, and I am grateful for their continued support. I come from a blended family where I am the eldest of seven siblings. My family has a strong faith in God, which allowed me to grow in my faith. Specifically, my grandmothers have played an indispensable role in my vocation story. 

My maternal grandmother was a simple and humble woman. Her battle with Alzheimer’s disease taught me the valuable lesson of patience and the importance of staying in the present moment. Likewise, she taught me that it is possible to find joy in the simple and ordinary things in life, many of which we take for granted. More importantly, she taught me how to be empathetic.

My paternal grandmother is a woman of great faith and devotion. She instilled and planted the seed of faith within me and brought the Gospel to life in her marriage and in the way she lives her life. As my late grandfather’s caregiver for many years, she pointed to Christ, who laid down His life for the Church and who came not to be served but to serve. Her example of love, sacrifice, and faith will continue to inspire me in my formation.

I believe God has used these unique experiences, challenges, and people throughout my life to be the channel through which He forms and prepares me to serve His people. These are moments of great grace. I am always grateful for opportunities such as these to tell my vocation story. They are one way in which I believe God invites me to reflect on how He has been present and led me to this point in my life.

While I do not have a grand conversion or dramatic vocation story, I have felt God calling me to be a priest from a very young age and continue to hear that call. Nevertheless, I am thankful for my vocation story. It has been accompanied by strong faith, experiences, and people who have supported my calling to the priesthood. With joy and the help of God’s grace, I eagerly look forward to ministry in and for the people of God in our diocese.

Seminarians Carlos De La Rosa, at left, and Charles Silvas will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on June 5 at 10 a.m. in Corpus Christi Cathedral. Both seminarians are completing their studies at the Theological College at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Vincent Castaldi, Seminarian from the Archdiocese of New York | for STC