Four young men from the Diocese of San Bernardino have taken their first step in priestly formation by becoming seminarian candidates and participating in a year-long propaedeutic (the Greek word for preparatory) stage at Emmaus House of Formation at Assumption Seminary, San Antonio, TX.
The four new candidates who are discerning to become seminarians are Isaiah Valenzuela, Allan Zaragoza, Alan Guerrero, and Joshua Doran.
In 2023, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) implemented a new change to the Program for Priestly Formation whereby men who wish to enter the seminarian program need to spend their first year as “candidates.” In the propaedeutic stage, they live together in an environment of fellowship and discernment before formal admission to seminary.
The first class of seminarian candidates was a group of eight young men who spent their preparatory year at Bishop White Seminary in Spokane, WA. After their year of discernment all eight young men officially became seminarians of the diocese in October and will spend their next years of priestly formation at St. Junipero Serra House of Formation in Grand Terrace.
“The propaedeutic year plays an important and essential role in the ongoing priestly formation of our seminarians,” said Father Dr. Javier González Cabrera, Rector of Serra House. “The propaedeutic stage offers the seminarian an intended and natural setting for him to enter and establish an intimate and ordinary relationship with God in prayer. This stands as a foundational objective in the seminary formation where the future priest embraces an ongoing configuration to the person of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd.”
The four new seminarian candidates shared their own vocation journey and experience thus far in their propaedeutic year of formation with the Inland Catholic BYTE.
Isaiah Valenzuela:
Isaiah Valenzuela, from St. Francis of Assisi, La Quinta, recalls that his journey to the priesthood began at an early age and he ultimately felt the call while he was in high school.
“As I grew older, I realized that this wasn’t just a passing interest; it was a deep, spiritual calling,” Valenzuela said. “In my sophomore year of high school, I experienced a profound moment of clarity — God was calling me to the priesthood. Since then, I have been on a path of discernment, prayer, and formation, which has now led me to the seminary.”
Valenzuela says his experience at Emmaus House of Formation in Assumption Seminary has been a time of immense growth and reflection where he has been able to deepen his relationship with Christ. He hopes to continue growing in his faith throughout the rest of the Propaedeutic year.
“The community here is incredible, and it’s inspiring to be surrounded by others who share the same sense of mission,” Valenzuela said. “For my propaedeutic year, I hope to continue growing in spiritual maturity and to be open to whatever God has planned for me. This year is all about laying a strong foundation for the future, and I’m eager to see where it leads.”
In his free time, Valenzuela enjoys taking walks with his brother seminarians, playing pool with them and cherishing quiet moments with Christ.
Allan Zaragoza:
Allan Zaragoza, from St. John XXIII, Fontana, says that despite difficult challenges and obstacles on his vocation journey, he has been able to say ‘yes’ to his calling to the priesthood. He remembers his first inkling towards the priesthood was when he was seven years old and became an altar server.
“I found so much fascination and so much beauty towards the Holy Eucharist,” Zaragoza said. “This led me to be an altar server because I truly wanted to be as close as possible to Our Lord, but it didn’t stop there. I felt that God was inviting me to an even closer encounter, a more intimate, special relationship with Him. Soon I came to the realization that Our Lord was calling me to be His priest. Ever since I said, ‘yes’ to his calling, my life has truly been transformed.”
Zaragoza says that his time so far in the seminary has been very helpful and important to his formation process, especially learning about his weaknesses and strengths.
“It has opened my eyes to see the world through Jesus’ eyes and not mine,” Zaragoza said. “It’s been very challenging as well because God is inviting me to change a lot of aspects of myself to be the person He wants me to be in the future. My hope for this propaedeutic year is to truly have an intimate relationship with Christ, to be the best version of myself by allowing myself to be open about my wounds, my weaknesses and challenges.”
In his spare time, Zaragoza enjoys going to the gym, playing soccer, reading and spending time with his seminarian brothers.
Alan Guerrero:
Alan Guerrero, from San Charles Borromeo, Bloomington, compares his vocational journey to the story of St. Paul because St. Paul was persecuting Christians until he encountered the resurrected Christ and after the encounter, devoted his life completely to the Lord. Similarly, Guerrero once found himself away from the Lord.
“I was totally uninterested in what my Catholic faith could offer me,” Guerrero said. “I even remember during my college years I had to write an essay, and I started my introduction by attacking the Catholic Church. In a way, I was persecuting the Church.”
However, in efforts to seek deeper truths, Guerrero later found himself at a bible study at his parish and says he heard the Lord speak to him, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (Jeremiah 1, 5).
“I still don’t know exactly what happened, but after hearing those words my life was transformed, I was convinced there is a God,” Guerrero recalls.
Guerrero’s time spent thus far at Emmaus House has been a blessing and he hopes to continue to grow in all aspects.
“So far, it has been a wonderful experience that has impacted my life in so many ways. From learning more about myself in the light of Christ to sharing the joy of the Gospel with other seminarians by living in community at the seminary or going out to meet the poor, the homeless, refugees, those who are in need,” Guerrero said. “My hope for this year is to take advantage of every opportunity that I have in this program to grow in my integral formation as a human being, a Christian, and a son of God.”
In his free time, he enjoys staying active and partaking in his love of sports, especially soccer, hiking, running and lifting weights.
Joshua Doran:
Joshua Doran, from St. Thomas the Apostle, Riverside, always wanted to be a biological father because he fell in love with taking care of his nieces, however, he says hearing God’s message has led him to the seminary.
“But through some messages from God through others and in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament I came to a want of being a Spiritual Father as well,” Doran said. “I was serving in the Young Adult Ministry at the time and fell in love with altar serving and other ministries leading to a want to experience and maybe complete seminary.”
Doran said he is enjoying his time at Emmaus House and learning from his formators.
“The director, Father Tom, has been great, he is a great formator with a lot of knowledge and great relational prowess,” Doran said. “All of the formators we have been getting our classes through are knowledgeable and enjoy doing what they do.”
In his spare time, Doran enjoys reading, playing pool, ping pong, chess with his seminarian brothers and praying in the chapel.