On Feb. 18, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila ordained seven men to the transitional diaconate at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Six are studying at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, while one is studying at Redemptoris Mater.
Get to know each of the Archdiocese of Denver’s newest deacons and learn about how they discerned a call to the priesthood by reading the short profiles below.
Deacon Patricio Chuquimarca
What’s your hometown?
I was born in Quito, Ecuador.
What was your upbringing like?
My upbringing was somewhat normal. I am the oldest of five children and the only boy. I grew up going to Mass every Sunday with my parents and praying at home every morning. I was a typical boy in my neighborhood, going to school in the morning and spending my afternoon working with my father in his auto repair shop.
When did you discover that the Lord was calling you to be a priest?
My vocation was always there. Ever since I was a child, I had the awareness that God was calling me. However, during my teenage years, I did not want to think about it. The call of God became a simple, naive idea that belonged to my childhood. But the Lord, who is faithful, was very patient with me. I already had experienced the action of God in my life. In 2005, my family had a deep conversion through the Neocatechumenal Way. At that time, my parents’ marriage was going through a very difficult time. Seeing my parents’ reconciliation was a sign of the faithfulness of God. As a fruit of this reconciliation, my two youngest sisters were born. There is a 20-year difference between me and my young sister. My parents’ openness to life, the support of my community and my catechists were what helped me to be open to the call of God and eventually to be sent to Redemptoris Mater Seminary in 2012 at the age of 22.
What are you most looking forward to about being a priest?
I realized that without the grace of God, I would not be here today. The mission to which the Lord is calling me is to announce the love of God to others – to announce that Christ is risen! And he comes with power to snatch people from the claws of the evil one who lies to us every day telling us that God is not love.
Who are some saints/mentors/important figures that have helped you along in your vocation?
Saint Therese of Lisieux has become a companion to me. I did not know about her until I came to the seminary. Looking back at these years of formation, I realize she was protecting me in very simple ways. It is not a coincidence that she is the patron saint of the missionaries. I pray that she helps me also to have a missionary spirit. Moreover, I am very grateful to Father Felipe Gonzalez, who was responsible for my mission team for three years. He suffered chronic pain all the time. He would correct me and call me to conversion bluntly but also with mercy and forgiveness.
Deacon Zachary Michalczyk
What’s your hometown?
My hometown is currently Commerce City, Colo., with my home parish being Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church.
What was your upbringing like?
I grew up in a mountain town in Colorado called Bailey. Even though it was quite the distance for us to get to Mass, my parents made it a priority and we went to Mass every Sunday. We eventually moved to the city when I was in 7th grade for my mom’s job. This is when I first went to Catholic school at St. James and where I really started to learn in a deeper way what we believe. My mom is currently the President of Frassati Catholic Academy, my dad is an I.T. Guy for the Archdiocese of Denver and the Seminary, and I have two younger sisters and one younger brother.
When did you discover that the Lord was calling you to be a priest?
I first heard the call to be a priest when I was altar serving in 8th grade at St. James. I heard in the back of my head a voice that said, “You could do that!” as the priest was giving his homily. I ignored it for a while and ended up going to Bishop Machebeuf High School and then to college for a year at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where I got my C.N.A. (Certified Nurses Aid) license. I worked in a hospice center with dementia patients for about six months before entering seminary.
What are you most looking forward to about being a priest?
I am most looking forward to being able to offer the sacraments to people. The sacraments have played such a crucial role in my life and I have such a strong desire to bring them to others as well.
Who are some saints/mentors/important figures that have helped you along in your vocation?
My favorite saints are St. Philip Neri and St. Teresa of Calcutta. I have also learned a lot from great priests like Father Jorge Aguillera at St. Pius X, Father Nick Larkin, Father Rocco Porter and Father Felix Medina.
Deacon Jacob Machado
What’s your hometown?
Denver, born and raised.
What was your upbringing like?
I grew up in Denver and had a good and uneventful childhood. I attended public schools for kindergarten through 2nd grade. I was homeschooled from 3rd to 8th grade, I attended Bishop Machebeuf for high school and then Franciscan University of Steubenville for college. I grew up playing baseball and soccer and climbing any tree in sight. Following my older brother’s example, I became a voracious reader, a love that continues to this day. I also fostered artistic interests through crafts with my mother and siblings. My childhood was one open to adventure, embracing new challenges and seeking new discoveries.
When did you discover that the Lord was calling you to be a priest?
My calling to the priesthood wasn’t a particular moment. It was rather a long, drawn-out invitation. I first thought of it as a possibility when I was very young. I felt some semblance of a call later in high school. During college, there were times I felt the call as well, especially when I was in Rome during my study abroad semester as a sophomore. I didn’t want to go to seminary though, even though I thought I might have a call. I graduated, and after working for four years in Denver, I had a sense I was not accomplishing the real reason for my life. During prayer in this time, I felt like God was saying, “Remember that priesthood idea? Yeah, now is the time to go.” So, I entered seminary. As I trusted the call and persevered through seminary, the desire for ordination and the life of a priest also grew. God is faithful to his promises, and he does not invite us into something that he will not sustain us and fulfill us in. God put the seed of a vocational calling in my heart early and let it grow slowly, often hidden, through my life.
What are you most looking forward to about being a priest?
I am looking forward to the adventure of being led by the Holy Spirit. As a priest, you never know what will come each day, who you will meet, what highs and lows of the spiritual life you will journey through yourself or with others. Though I love the material adventures of this life, encountering other cultures, countries and peoples, the journey into the infinite mystery of God is the greatest adventure we can take. The priest gets to participate in the life and work of Christ in a particular and unique way. What a great, unknown, yet exciting adventure!
Who are some saints/mentors/important figures that have helped you along in your vocation?
St. Ignatius of Loyola has been an important intercessor through my life, as well as my middle name’s sake, St. Michael. More recently through seminary, I have felt the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Mary Magdelene, St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, St. Pope John Paul II, and St. Thomas Aquinas. I have also felt a close kinship with the Prophets Jeremiah and Elijah. I also love that the two apostles we call James the greater and James the lesser are in fact named Jacob, as James is an English translation of the Hebrew name Jacob. As they are my namesake, I feel a close kinship to them as well.
Deacon Quoc Bui
What’s your hometown? What was your upbringing like?
My name is Quoc Minh Bui. I was born and grew up in Nam Dinh Province, which is about 40 miles far away from Hanoi — the capital of Vietnam.
When did you discover that the Lord was calling you to be a priest?
I believe my vocation of priesthood started when I was about five years old, when my mom took me to a priest, who is my godfather now, on Tet — the Lunar New Year. I remembered that he gave me a candy and asked me who I wanted to be in the future. I was silent, but after a moment I confidently and joyfully answered that I wanted to be a priest. I nourished my priestly vocation by saying the daily rosary and going to church to pray at least twice a day. In December 2017, answering the call of the Lord through Archbishop Samuel Aquila, I moved to Denver to study for the Archdiocese of Denver. I am very happy to be here.
What are you most looking forward to about being a priest?
I am most looking forward to be ordained as a priest who is an effective and productive instrument bringing the salvation of God to people. When I am a priest, three tasks I should especially focus on are the daily Holy Hour, hearing confessions, and preparation for the daily Mass homily.
Holy Hour will be my priority of my day. Hearing confessions is also important. Confession is a sacrament by which the faithful can be reconciled with the Lord and receive forgiveness and necessary graces strengthening them to overcome the temptation and entice of the devil. Through confession, people will experience God’s love and mercy, then they can turn back to Him and live in peace and happiness. Preparing for the daily homily is also essential. Every Mass is the same, but the homily is different. The priest is a mediator between God and the faithful. His duty is to explain the Word of God to people. Therefore, the homily must be carefully prepared.
Who are some saints/mentors/important figures that have helped you along in your vocation?
The person who most influenced me and always encouraged me to be faithful to my vocation is my mom. She is very pious and faithful. When I was a little boy, she taught me to pray the rosary and other short prayers every day before going to bed. She woke me up every Sunday to go to Mass. She urged and encouraged me to attend daily worship in the church. She helped me grow in a prayerful and faithful life, by which my priestly vocation is cultivated and nourished fruitfully.
Two saints who have been along with my vocation are St. Joseph and St. Pope John Paul II. St Joseph has been with me and protected me since I was born. The second one is St. Pope John Paul II. My birthday is April 27, the day of his canonization, and I chose him as my second patron Saint. I pray that I can live out as a man of joy, a man of unity and a man of love to Mary and Eucharist like St. John Paul II, and I believe he will intercede for me.
Deacon Ryan Mack
What’s your Hometown?
I grew up in Billings, Montana and then lived in and around Golden, Colorado for six years before entering seminary.
What was your upbringing like?
I was raised in a faithful Catholic home. A vocation to the priesthood wasn’t really on the radar growing up, but my brother, sister, and I were formed well in the practice of the faith. I came to Colorado in 2017 to study mechanical engineering at Colorado School of Mines. During my four years of undergraduate studies, I had a deeply formative experience with FOCUS missionaries and students in Mines Catholic Campus Ministry.
When did you discover that the Lord was calling you to be a priest?
Looking back, I think life had been a little too stressful in college to discern well, and it was only once life had slowed down, working as an engineer in Denver that I could actively address the question of vocation. I started up spiritual direction with the pastor at my parish. It wasn’t until about a year and a half of simply developing my spiritual life that a clear call came through prayer. In a concrete sense, in two particular instances of prayer I heard Christ invite me to participate in his priesthood. Several months afterward, I entered seminary in the fall of 2017.
What are you most looking forward to about being a priest?
A call to spiritual fatherhood was a very real element in my vocational discernment, and flowing from that, I really look forward to preaching and teaching in the parish. I’m excited to be able to give blessings and to facilitate the sacramental life in the Church.
Who are some saints/mentors/important figures that helped you along in your vocation?
During a particularly stressful time of life, G.K. Chesterton’s writings helped affirm the joy and wonder in common experience and form me in a Catholic worldview. I also owe a lot to the writings of Pope Benedict the XVI for helping me to understand the Second Vatican Council and the task of the Church in the modern world. St. John Henry Cardinal Newman has been a great example for me of how to engage modern man and the questions of modern man from the wealth of the Church’s heritage. Also, St. Joseph has stood for me as a wonderful example of fatherhood and a real patron.
Deacon Owen Limarta
What’s your hometown?
Batam, Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia.
What was your upbringing like?
My parents are both from the corporate business world (banking). One younger sister who is a dentist and one younger brother who is a banker.
When did you discover that the Lord was calling you to be a priest?
My family converted to the Catholic faith from Buddhism when I was in 3rd grade. I first fell in love with blessed mother, and I started praying rosary before I go to bed. From that point, I guess there is only one place Blessed Mother lead you, namely a deeper love for Jesus Christ. I fell in love with them so deep that I want only to be theirs and completely theirs. I knew I wanted to become a priest by then.
I came to the U.S. for college originally, graduated with Business degree from CSU. During my time there I learned more about diocesan priesthood and fell in love with this diocese. Then I just decided to enter.
What are you most looking forward to about being a priest?
Go out, baptize them, and teach them, “that they may know Thee the one true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent” (Jn 17:3).
Who are some saints/mentors/important figures that have helped you along in your vocation?
The Blessed Mother, as always, and St. John of the Cross. My prayer warriors — all my friends including families, brother seminarians, priests in this diocese, and nuns (Carmelites, Missionaries of Charity, and Daughters of the Holy Rosary Sisters (PRR)), who have been praying for me by name faithfully. Lastly, my suffering partners (those who offer their physical sufferings for my vocation).
Deacon David Hall
What’s your hometown?
Denver, Colorado.
What was your upbringing like?
I was born and raised Catholic, and I’ve been in Catholic school since I was three years old! I have lived in Colorado my whole life, except for my four years of college. I am the second of four boys, and we spent our time growing up playing sports, playing music, and breaking things around the house.
When did you discover that the Lord was calling you to be a priest?
I first felt the call to be a priest when I was pretty young; I told my mom I wanted to be a priest when I grew up when I was maybe 8 or 9. This call became clear when I was in college, and during my senior year, I decided that I would enter seminary after graduation.
What are you most looking forward to about being a priest?
I have been tremendously blessed to have experienced the love of Jesus Christ in my life, and the ways that he has transformed me as I begin my journey. As a priest, I deeply desire to communicate to people how deeply they are loved by God.
Who are some saints/mentors/important figures that have helped you along in your vocation?
I have been deeply inspired by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint John Paul II, Saint Benedict, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint John Vianney, and many others.
I am deeply indebted to the priests and the staff at the seminary: the formators, spiritual directors, and the teachers. All of them have impacted me tremendously in my years of formation in guiding, inspiring, and challenging me at every step to grow into Christian maturity, and eventually, God willing, into priesthood.
I have also been very blessed to have been deeply impacted by many people before seminary as well, including every member of my family, both immediate and extended, the priests of St. Vincent de Paul Parish when I was growing up, the teachers and monks at Benedictine College, and many, many more. I would not be where I am today if not for the love and guidance I have received at every step of the way.