Father Javier Gonzalez and Father Jorge Garcia have been connected to St. Junipero Serra House of Formation together since their days as seminarians in the early 2000s.
They were ordained together in 2008 and in their early years as priests they worked in vocations ministry and in seminarian formation with Fr. Garcia becoming Vice Rector of Serra House in 2012 and Rector in 2017. Fr. Gonzalez ministered as Associate Director of Vocations and then spent three years in Rome getting his doctorate in Missiology before returning to Serra House to serve as Director of Pastoral Formation.
The connectivity between the two priests continues in July when Fr. Gonzalez will succeed Fr. Garcia as Rector of Serra House.
“It’s been a great journey to walk with him,” Fr. Garcia says of his friend and brother priest. “I feel that the seminary will be in good hands with him. He’s the right person. This formation program is not new to him.”
Still, Fr. Gonzalez understands the gravity of his new role as the leading formator at Serra House.
“It’s a beautiful role but it’s a big responsibility in the eyes of God and the people,” he says.
As he did in his doctoral work in Missiology, Fr. Gonzalez will emphasize simple, foundational elements of the Catholic faith to animate the seminarian program. He says the charism of the diocesan priest; to be configured to the person of Christ, will be a central focus in the seminarian program.
“In the seminary, the main aim is to form missionary disciples with the heart of Jesus, configured to Jesus,” Fr. Gonzales says. “The future priests are being called to be like Him; to be close to the people, to listen to the people, to dedicate his entire life to the Kingdom of God.”
The Diocesan Seminarian Program structures its formation of future priests into five dimensions: spiritual, human, community, intellectual and pastoral. Specific objectives have been set for the seminarians within each of those dimensions, Fr. Gonzalez says.
This structure has been in place during Fr. Garcia’s seven years as Rector of Serra House. He says a particular emphasis on the human and spiritual formation of seminarians over the past six years has been the biggest change in the program, which had been more focused on academics.
During Fr. Garcia’s time as rector 34 men have been accepted into the seminarian program. In that same span the diocese has ordained 22 priests. Two years ago, the diocese ordained seven priests, its largest class ever.
“I’ve walked with them,” he says of watching the seminarians he has formed reach the priesthood. “It’s been a privilege to see their growth and their desire to serve God’s people.”
While the diocese is challenged by one of the nation’s lowest priest-to-parishioner ratios, Fr. Garcia says it has been more important to produce balanced, well-formed priests than huge ordination classes.
“My mentality was always quality over quantity,” he says. “We want to get the best guys, not just numbers. We want guys who are more open to formation.”
Part of that criteria is embracing community life and answering Pope Francis’ call for priests to be attentive to the different realities of the people they serve. Some seminarians arrive more attracted to the idea of celebrating the liturgy than ministering directly to the people, Fr. Garcia admits.
“This generation is more traditional,” he says. “Yes, liturgy is beautiful but don’t forget about serving the people.”
In that spirit, Fr. Gonzalez will embark on an innovative new approach to teaching seminarians about parish life and the many realities of the lay faithful. He will also serve as the Administrator of Christ the Redeemer Parish, which is located on the same Grand Terrace property as Serra House. Diocesan seminarians will be significantly involved in the life of the parish, he says, participating in different ministries there and having a consistent presence in the liturgies at Christ the Redeemer.
The plan for Fr. Gonzalez to succeed Fr. Garcia was developed over the past year and the two have been working closely together in preparation for the transition. In addition, Fr. Gonzalez has been in Rome for a three-month program designed for first-time seminary rectors. He praises the work of Fr. Garcia and the team of formators at Serra House and calls his plans for the seminarian program “more of a continuation” of what has been recently put in place.
He asks for the support of the faithful and knows that his work is ultimately in God’s hands.
“Right now, it’s ideas. Time will tell,” Fr. Gonzalez says as he begins his new ministry. “It’s important to be humble. We have to pray a lot – the whole diocese.”
Meanwhile, Fr. Garcia will take the coming months to complete his own doctoral dissertation. When finished he will receive a parish assignment in the diocese, a new chapter that he admits makes him a little nervous.
“I’ve never been in parish ministry, but I will be open.”