Editor’s Note: The Register invited the five men who were ordained transitional deacons last year to write columns for the Register, to introduce themselves to the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln.
Deacon Santiago Izquierdo (pronounced “Is-Ski-air-doe”) is from St. Peter Parish in Lincoln. He was ordained a deacon in May 2023 and served at St. Cecilia Parish in Hastings last summer. He is now in Theology 4 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.
Ordinations will be May 24 (new deacons) and 25 (new priests) in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln.
By Deacon Santiago Izquierdo
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
These words of St. Paul to Timothy (4:7) are part of a beautiful introspection that the Apostle to the Gentiles had on his life as he neared his imminent martyrdom in Rome. And while St. Paul was referring to his faithfulness to the Gospel amidst all the intense persecution and hardship that he endured in his ministry, in a broader sense, one can apply these timeless words to one’s own life, when one has persevered and continued on a journey, even when there were some struggles along the way, even if not as severe as St. Paul’s.
As my “race” in the seminary is quickly coming to an end, another one is about to start – on May 25, when, God willing, I will be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ.
But my journey started quite a ways from Lincoln. I was born in Bogotá, Colombia. I always thank God that both my parents are devout Catholics who promoted the idea, ever since I was young, that the priesthood is a good way of life. That is where, I believe, my vocation story commenced.
I immigrated to the United States in 2002, when I was 5 years old, alongside my parents and my brother. After a brief stint in Miami, we moved to Lexington. We were in Lexington for less than a year when my parents decided that Lincoln was a better environment for my brother and me. And I am sure glad they made that decision, as I truly feel at home in the Diocese of Lincoln and feel proud to be a future priest of this great diocese.
One of the aspects of my diocese that makes it one of the best in the country, and that played a significant role in my vocation, is the Catholic education that it provides. I attended St. Peter School in Lincoln and received the sacraments there. Going to Mass every single day and receiving the Holy Eucharist, as students do in the Diocese of Lincoln, is not something that happens in most other Catholic dioceses across the country. But going to Mass and receiving the Holy Eucharist daily was a tremendous blessing in my life. It made me appreciate this greatest gift that our Lord provides for us, and it certainly influenced my vocation.
I always enjoyed being an altar server, and helping the priest during Mass helped form a deeper appreciation of the priesthood.
In 2007, my brother entered the seminary, which also played a role in my journey, as I visited him often at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward. During those visits, I was able to see what the seminary was like, and I truly felt that one day this could be a place where I could be and feel comfortable.
While my brother ultimately discerned that God was not calling him to be a priest, those years of formation were not wasted on him. His experience taught me that if I ever entered the seminary, the time in formation would be valuable to my growth and maturity.
After graduating from St. Peter Elementary, I attended Pius X High School, where I was blessed to be taught by priests in my four years of theology courses. After high school, I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for two years as a chemistry major.
During my sophomore year in college, I felt God’s call to actively discern the possibility of entering the seminary. So, I talked with the late Father Ramon Decaen, who was the pastor at Cristo Rey Parish, where, in addition to St. Peter Parish, my family also went to Mass.
Father Decaen gave me sound advice, and he will always be a role model for me, of living out the sacrificial aspects of the priesthood. Thus, in the summer of 2016, I applied to enter the seminary.
Eight years later, I am in my last semester of seminary. These past eight years have not always been easy, but through the grace of God, seminary was the place for me to be formed, grow, and find healing.
After five years at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary near Philadelphia, I look forward with great anticipation to being back in my home diocese and serving the lay faithful in a wide variety of ways – the most important of which is being the instrument that Christ uses to bring the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, Penance, and Baptism, to the people.
When those tough days come, administering the sacraments will be one of the sources of strength that will help me to persevere. All that I do in my future priesthood will have the endgame of helping as many souls as possible to reach heaven, whether it be through teaching in a high school, celebrating the morning Mass at the parish, or anointing someone about to pass away.
As I am about to start running in this new “race,” and, God willing, it will be a long one, I have hope that by being faithful to the promises I make at ordination, frequent reception and administering of the sacraments, having a strong prayer life, and receiving countless prayers for me by the faithful, I will one day, at the end of my life, be able to say that I indeed fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.
Read the other deacons' columns:
