Angelus News | July 31-August 7, 2020 | Vol. 5 No. 21
The eight deacons being ordained priests Aug. 8 for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles strike a pose in front of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Starting on Page 10, the men of St. John’s Seminary’s “Pandemic Class of 2020” reflect on where God called them from and what they’re looking forward to the most. The eight deacons being ordained priests Aug. 8 for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles strike a pose in front of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Starting on Page 10, the men of St. John’s Seminary’s “Pandemic Class of 2020” reflect on where God called them from and what they’re looking forward to the most.
Manuel Ramos Age: 47 Hometown: San Pedro Home parish: Holy Trinity Church, San Pedro First parish assignment: St. Joseph Church, Carpinteria “Jesus Christ is here to heal and to offer salvation and that’s something I want to echo.” VICTOR ALEMÁN film. As for the call that still came to him from time to time? “Unfortunately, I kept running from my vocation.” That is until 2000, when Father Edward Benioff at Holy Trinity encouraged him to take a more active role in his faith, and it was then that he discovered a joy in ministry. Before too long, he was a member of multiple ministries. The satisfaction of not just thinking about his faith but performing it “is what fueled my vocation,” he said. In 2009, during a drive to Tijuana, Mexico, to visit his grandmother, he heard “a distinct voice coming from deep inside of me saying, ‘It’s time.’ ” This time, he listened and soon entered the seminary. He found a welcoming community willing to offer whatever he needed, a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen to help him break through all that had been holding him back. “The truth is we’re all human beings with flaws, with broken natures, and the task is to understand yourself, understand your triggers, understand the flaws that you have,” he said. “They were definitely there for me, you know, to help me to get up when I had fallen down. These seven years there were struggles, there were difficulties, there were health concerns that I had to go through, but it wasn’t a path that I was walking alone.” His fellow seminarians’ kindness further confirmed to him that real faith must be acted upon and provided to whoever needs it, which, let’s face it, is everyone. He says he’ll emphasize this message of an active faith at his new parish, St. Joseph Church in Carpinteria. “I think that’s the crux, getting involved, getting active, becoming a part of the parish and not just sitting passively waiting for the spirit to come to [you],” he said. “Jesus Christ is here to heal and to offer salvation and that’s something I want to echo. I want that to resonate from my ministry.” Manuel Ramos admitted to being a “little naive” when first entering the seminary, believing that those he would be sharing this journey with came to it armed with the innocence and certainty of “a community of altar servers.” It was therefore somewhat of a relief for him to discover that his colleagues were far from any of that, that “the men that I was surrounded with were great men, but they experienced doubts, they experienced struggles and pressures, nonetheless.” If Ramos didn’t have doubts growing up, he certainly could overwhelm himself with conflicting thoughts. Raised in San Pedro, a member of Holy Trinity Church, he said it was there that he first heard the call to a vocation, but “like many men, you have dreams of having a family, of having work, and so I went the other way.” That other way led him to Bishop Montgomery High School and then UC Irvine, where he first majored in premed only to do a complete 180 and change his emphasis to Manuel Ramos on his diaconate ordination day with Bishop Alex Aclan. FACEBOOK VIA ST. JOHN'S SEMINARY 14 • ANGELUS • July 31-August 7, 2020
Daniel Garcia Age: 45 Hometown: Los Angeles Home parish: St. Paul Church, Los Angeles Parish assignment: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Downey “We need to be in silence so that God can speak to us in that silence. God will if you open your heart.” VICTOR ALEMÁN “This figure was smiling at me and said, ‘Come to me, everything’s going to be OK,’ ” he said. “When I woke up, I was filled with grace, I was filled with this feeling of love. And that was the sign for me that I had been asking for. And I knew in my heart that God was calling me to something greater.” That the sign came while he slept doesn’t surprise Garcia at all. The world is full of distractions, he said, distractions that make it hard to focus on God’s plan. Entering the seminary provided him with a necessary state of quiet, one that allowed him to separate himself from the daily stresses of life. If it sounds as if he viewed the seminary as a retreat, far from it. He said he saw the seminary as a “hospital for the soul,” one where men could be broken down and then “molded again with the help of the Holy Spirit in how God wants us to be molded because we’re going to be working for him and with him.” Part of being broken down was learning that it was not “about me anymore,” that it was only when he surrendered that he could see what others had for years. He said it’s important for anyone, whether considering the seminary or simply attempting to live God’s plan, to quiet down and be patient. “Just listen to God, you Daniel Garcia at his first holy Communion at St. Paul Church, Los Angeles, in 1981. SUBMITTED PHOTO know, most of the time we love talking,” he said. “We need to be in silence so that God can speak to us in that silence. God will if you open your heart. God will place the answer for you.” That Daniel Garcia is becoming a priest — soon to call Downey’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church his home parish — is really no surprise to anyone who’s known him. As early as sixth grade at St. Paul Elementary School, people saw that he was called to something, one teacher telling him, “Danny, I see Jesus in you.” But sometimes those who are called are the last to realize it. Looking back, Garcia said he can clearly see the signs of him being drawn to service, whether as an altar server assisting at weddings and funerals, working in a rectory, or acting as a lector during Mass. Still, he had a hard time seeing what others did, wondering how anyone “could see Jesus in me.” While he did get involved in Catholic ministry, it was in education, first as a teacher then vice principal, and finally as principal at St. Malachy School in Los Angeles. But despite what he had accomplished, despite all he had served, he still felt himself wanting and prayed for a sign. It arrived while he slept. Daniel Garcia with his family at his diaconate ordination at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. SUBMITTED PHOTO July 31-August 7, 2020 • ANGELUS • 15
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Daniel Garcia<br />
Age: 45<br />
Hometown: Los Angeles<br />
Home parish: St. Paul Church, Los Angeles<br />
Parish assignment: Our Lady of Perpetual Help<br />
Church, Downey<br />
“We need to be in silence so that God<br />
can speak to us in that silence. God will<br />
if you open your heart.”<br />
VICTOR ALEMÁN<br />
“This figure was smiling at me and said, ‘Come to me,<br />
everything’s going to be OK,’ ” he said. “When I woke up,<br />
I was filled with grace, I was filled with this feeling of love.<br />
And that was the sign for me that I had been asking for. And<br />
I knew in my heart that God was calling me to something<br />
greater.”<br />
That the sign came while he slept doesn’t surprise Garcia at<br />
all. The world is full of distractions, he said, distractions that<br />
make it hard to focus on God’s plan. Entering the seminary<br />
provided him with a necessary state of quiet, one that allowed<br />
him to separate himself from the daily stresses of life.<br />
If it sounds as if he viewed the seminary as a retreat, far<br />
from it. He said he saw the seminary as a “hospital for the<br />
soul,” one where men could be broken down and then<br />
“molded again with the help of the Holy Spirit in how God<br />
wants us to be molded because we’re going to be working for<br />
him and with him.”<br />
Part of being broken down was learning that it was not<br />
“about me anymore,” that<br />
it was only when he surrendered<br />
that he could see<br />
what others had for years.<br />
He said it’s important for<br />
anyone, whether considering<br />
the seminary or simply<br />
attempting to live God’s<br />
plan, to quiet down and be<br />
patient.<br />
“Just listen to God, you<br />
Daniel Garcia at his first<br />
holy Communion at St. Paul<br />
Church, Los Angeles, in 1981.<br />
SUBMITTED PHOTO<br />
know, most of the time we<br />
love talking,” he said. “We<br />
need to be in silence so<br />
that God can speak to us<br />
in that silence. God will if<br />
you open your heart. God<br />
will place the answer for<br />
you.” <br />
That Daniel Garcia is becoming a priest — soon to call<br />
Downey’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church his<br />
home parish — is really no surprise to anyone who’s<br />
known him. As early as sixth grade at St. Paul Elementary<br />
School, people saw that he was called to something, one<br />
teacher telling him, “Danny, I see Jesus in you.”<br />
But sometimes those who are called are the last to realize it.<br />
Looking back, Garcia said he can clearly see the signs of him<br />
being drawn to service, whether as an altar server assisting at<br />
weddings and funerals, working in a rectory, or acting as a<br />
lector during Mass.<br />
Still, he had a hard time seeing what others did, wondering<br />
how anyone “could see Jesus in me.”<br />
While he did get involved in Catholic ministry, it was in<br />
education, first as a teacher then vice principal, and finally<br />
as principal at St. Malachy School in Los Angeles. But<br />
despite what he had accomplished, despite all he had served,<br />
he still felt himself wanting and prayed for a sign. It arrived<br />
while he slept.<br />
Daniel Garcia with his family at his diaconate ordination at<br />
the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.<br />
SUBMITTED PHOTO<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>31</strong>-<strong>August</strong> 7, <strong>2020</strong> • ANGELUS • 15
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