Following God's will is a path to happiness for seminarian

Friday, Nov. 07, 2014

SALT LAKE CITY — Sergio A. Chavez, a seminarian for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, was a typical child growing up in Huejucar, Jalisco, Mexico, until he heard a call to the priesthood.

“When I was a little boy I didn’t even want to go to church, and when I went I was just playing around and making a lot of noise,” said Chavez.

But one day a priest took time to speak to him, and that personal approach helped him change.

“I was around 8 years old and I really heard God calling me, and I started thinking of one day becoming a priest,” said Chavez.

After graduating from high school, he decided to enter the seminary in Mexico.

“At that time the original papers of the high school had been sent to the University of Guadalajara, so I just had copies of them,” said Chavez. Those copies weren’t accepted by the seminary, and the admissions deadline passed before they could obtain the original documents,  so they told Chavez that he would have to wait one year before entering.

Determined to attend the seminary, Chavez accepted that he would have to wait the required time. Then one of his uncles invited him on a recreational trip to the United States.

“That was interesting because I have always said that I didn’t want or need to visit the United States, but at the time of my uncle’s invitation I was just waiting for that year to pass so I could enter the seminary,” said Chavez.

On their trip, he and his uncle visited Utah, where a meeting with Father Hernando Diaz, pastor of Saint Bridget Parish in Milford, would change Chavez’s destiny.

“Chatting with him about my life and that I was just waiting to be able to enter the seminary, he told me, ‘Why not enter the seminary in the United States and become a seminarian for the Diocese of Salt Lake City?’” said Chavez, adding that he thought that that would never happen and the priest was just being nice to him.

But a week later, to Chavez’s surprise, he received a letter from the diocesan Office of Vocations asking him to present himself for an interview.

“That’s when I really thought that we, as human beings, sometimes think that we want something, but it’s God’s will that is the one that always guides us,” said Chavez.

After months of paperwork, Chavez started his journey as a diocesan seminarian in 2002 by studying philosophy in the Mexico City seminary; he then studied English at the University of Utah.

“After that I passed the exam that is a requirement to enter Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon, because to be able to study there you have to have a certain level of English,” said Chavez, who is now in that seminary studying theology.

His journey has been filled with learning, but along the way his faith has grown and become stronger, his said. He wants to let other young people know that the road to becoming a priest is full of joy.

“We need to learn to hear God; in today’s world there are a lot of voices inviting us to enjoy the commodities and luxuries that are vain … Let God speak to you, hear what He wants from you, open your minds and your hearts. God has a plan for everyone and He is never going to fail you. He knows that we have defects and that we make mistakes, but nevertheless He is always there for us,” said Chavez.

He also asked the community to keep all the seminarians in their prayers.

“Don’t forget us. Here in Utah I have found a very marvelous Church in which everyone is fighting and working on their talents to grow God’s kingdom, and I can’t express how happy I am to be part of such an awesome community,” said Chavez, who  enjoys bike riding and taking long walks as well as fishing and camping.