Nine men will be ordained as permanent deacons on August 22 at St. Frances of Rome Church in Wildomar. They are Jorge Alvarado, Fernando Andrade, Claudio Dominguez, Oscar Dominguez Bernal, Francisco Galaz, William Mendez, Mark Miller, Rodrick Morales, and Felipe Olvera. For those unable to attend the 10 am Mass in person, it will be livestreamed on the diocesan YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/sanbernardinodiocese. Get to know these soon-to-be deacons and their journey to the diaconate by reading below.
Jorge Alvarado Torres
Home Parish: Saint Oscar Romero, Eastvale
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Ministries of Interest: While I am open to serving wherever the Church has need, I feel a particular calling to minister to men and help them grow closer to Jesus Christ. For many years, I have had the privilege of serving in Men’s Cursillo and witnessing firsthand the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of countless men. I hope to accompany them, encourage them, and help them encounter Jesus Christ in a personal way. At the same time, I desire to serve wherever the Church calls me. Through the diaconate, I hope to bring Christ’s love and presence to all those God places in my path.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
To be honest, I do not know that I can point to any one thing that inspired me to become a deacon. Looking back, I simply recognize that God placed this call on my heart and patiently nurtured it throughout my life. As a child, I was always drawn to my Catholic faith, especially the Mass and the altar. Then, during my Cursillo [Retreat] weekend in October 2001, that attraction became something deeper. Through that encounter with Christ, I first sensed a call toward ordained ministry, particularly toward the diaconate. From that moment, the thought of becoming a deacon never left me. Over the years, that call only continued to grow stronger and clearer. Through experiences, I witnessed the profound impact deacons can have in the lives of others. I saw them lead, teach, serve, and accompany people as they encountered Christ in a deeper way. As the years passed, I focused on my first vocation as a husband and father. As my children grew older, I recognized that God was preparing my heart to respond to the diaconate vocation, while also preparing my family to walk this journey with me. Becoming a deacon is not something I feel I chose for myself; rather, it is my response to God’s invitation to serve Him and His people. I pray that, through the grace of Holy Orders, I may continue to grow into the servant Christ is calling me to be.
Fernando Andrade Beltran
Home Parish: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Riverside
Occupation: Department Manager
Ministries of Interest: I am interested in serving in the formation of liturgical ministers, accompanying people through times of grief, and supporting married couples.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
I desired to respond to God’s mercy and His call through a deeper commitment to service. I must admit, however, that my initial response was one of obedience to an invitation from +Monsignor Tom Wallace to enter the formation process. As part of completing the Continuing Ministries Formation Program (CMFP) program, each participant was asked to meet with his pastor and offer himself in service to the parish. During my meeting, Monsignor Wallace invited me to begin formation for the permanent diaconate. I offered several reasons why I did not believe I should pursue it, but none of them stood. Out of respect for Monsignor and in response to his gracious invitation, I accepted. Throughout the formation process, I came to recognize that my pastor’s invitation was truly God’s call to serve His Church and to continue the mission of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Claudio Dominguez
Home Parish: St. Martha, Murrieta
Occupation: Self-employed
Ministries of Interest: All ministries are important. I feel particularly called to the ministry of serving the sick because I see in them a profound need for companionship and pastoral care. I desire to bring them Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, as well as words of encouragement, hope, and consolation. Through this call from God, He has given me the grace to recognize the face of Christ in those who are suffering. I pray that the Lord will grant me the gifts of love, hope, and charity so that I may be an instrument of His peace and love for my brothers and sisters.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
The needs within our communities are great, especially the need to serve our neighbors. Although more than two thousand years have passed since Jesus Christ commissioned His disciples to proclaim the Gospel, there are still many people today who have heard of Jesus but do not truly know Him as the Savior of their souls and of the world.
Oscar Dominguez Bernal
Home Parish: Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Winchester
Occupation: Assistant Manager, Heritage Landscape Supply Group
Ministries of Interest: I feel called to serve in the ministries of Social Justice, Youth Ministry, Liturgy, and Catechesis. I would also like to collaborate with ministries that serve people from different cultural communities so that I may come to know them better and, together, we can support one another in responding to the needs of our parish community.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
In 2010, my family and I became members of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish. At that time, it was a newly established parish community. We were invited to become involved in parish ministry, and we gladly accepted. Since then, we have had the privilege of serving in a variety of ministries. One Sunday during Mass, the priest spoke in his homily about the call to serve and the role of the deacon in service to the people of God. At that moment, I experienced a very strong sense of God’s call. Although I had been invited several times before to consider the diaconate and had always responded that it was not for me, my years of ministry, together with the needs of the parish community, helped me recognize that this was the Lord’s invitation. That experience deeply inspired me and strengthened my desire to respond to His call.
Francisco Galaz
Home Parish: Our Lady of Hope Church, San Bernardino
Occupation: California Department of Corrections (Retired)
Ministries of Interest: Premarital Preparation Ministry, Infant Baptism Ministry, and pastoral care, guidance, and accompaniment to immigrants.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
It was around 1994. My children were attending catechism classes in preparation to receive the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation. As part of their preparation, the parents were also required to attend a retreat with their children. At that time, I was experiencing my own conversion and seeking to serve the Lord in whatever way He called me. During that retreat, while my wife and I were praying together, we realized that although we had been married civilly, we had not yet received the Sacrament of Matrimony. We made the decision that day to begin preparing for a sacramental marriage. After completing a retreat, we spoke with Father Gerry Leonard, SVD (may he rest in peace), who encouraged us to participate in a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend as part of our preparation to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. By then, we had been together for 12 years and were married only through a civil ceremony. After receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony, I spoke again with Father Gerry and shared with him that I was beginning to feel called to the permanent diaconate. Father Gerry helped me discern this call. Through prayer and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, my wife, Patty, and I decided to say “yes” to the Lord in regarding this vocation.
William Mendez
Home Parish: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Rancho Cucamonga
Occupation: Plant Controller
Ministries of Interest: My call is to accompany and attentively listen to all ministries and parishioners at my parish, and work with our pastor in a plan where we can focus on the most immediate needs of our community of faith. My initial call is to work with families, accompany the parents in a journey to discover the love of God, invoking the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts for they are the leaders at their domestic church. By helping parents become committed to our faith, I hope they will be mentors for their own children, in a way that will inspire their entire family to participate and become an active part of the Body of Christ! I am also asking Our Lord for wisdom to be able to help, one by one, our communities of faith to be united in Christ with a common goal, to love and serve our Lord and each other.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
I received an initial call to service at a retreat at our parish’s prayer group “Amigos de Jesus.” Ever since, I continued to get inspired by our Lord Jesus’ humbleness and love to serve His people, and I wanted to follow Him. In the years before the actual call for Diaconate formation, I saw a great need in our Church for teaching families and children our faith in a responsible manner. But it wasn’t until I started serving that I realized my need to grow in faith, immersing myself into a journey of deep understanding of our Catholic doctrine, and learn to be a servant leader, to imitate Jesus’ lifestyle. Throughout the years of formation, the desire grew more in my heart, and by the grace of our Lord Jesus, I feel the real meaning of happiness and joy, knowing that this call is what makes me feel fulfilled and joyful. Nothing else I ever did gave me the satisfaction and joy that I felt by serving the Lord and all His people.
Mark Miller
Home Parish: Blessed Sacrament, 29 Palms
Occupation: IT Simulations Specialist
Ministries of Interest: Liturgy, adult faith formation, charity and justice issues have captured my attention right now. The diaconate is the ministry of service, so that will be my focus as I begin this new part of my journey in faith.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
About three years after the loss of my dear wife, I felt a strong call to ministry in a deeper way than I had before. With the help of my pastor, spiritual advisors, family and friends, I discerned the Permanent Diaconate was the right path for me.
Rodrick Morales
Home Parish: Sacred Heart Church, Rancho Cucamonga
Occupation: Retired
Ministries of Interest: Food pantry, Bereavement, OCIA.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
I was inspired by a call from the Blessed Mother. I am a Guadalupano and in telling the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, like Juan Diego, I fell in love with our Blessed Mother. And from there, she kept guiding me to serve her son our Lord Jesus Christ. After ordination I have booked a trip to Mexico City to visit the basilica and give thanks for the guidance that our Blessed Mother has given me to serve her son for the rest of my life.
Felipe Olvera
Home Parish: Corpus Christi, Corona
Occupation: Real Estate Broker
Ministries of Interest: It is new a journey for me and my wife and for now, I am just open to discover what is the best place, He decides for me, so, for now I’m in a discovery mode and pray to God to show me the way.
What inspired you to become a deacon?
The desire of deepening my understanding of the love of Jesus. The love that touched me, the love that transformed me and many others all over the world. The desire to love like Him is to be able to discover and see His face in those who surround me, to love even if it hurts.