By Deacon Santiago Izquierdo
On behalf of Hispanic Ministry
“The priesthood of Christ was different from that of all pagan priests and from the Levitical priesthood of the family of Aaron. In the Old Testament and in pagan religions, the priest and the victim were distinct and separate. In Our Lord, they were united inseparably.”
With these words, Venerable Fulton Sheen opened his wonderful book, “The Priest Is Not His Own,” in which he examines the priesthood. One of his main points that has stuck with me after reading the book is the importance of the sacrificial nature of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
In a few weeks—May 25—I will be ordained to this same priesthood in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. On that day, I will receive a sacred calling that I am not worthy of, but that God has nevertheless called me to. With the presbyteral ordination, my soul will be configured to Christ as head and shepherd of the Church (Pastores Dabo Vobis 21). And thus, for the rest of my life, I am called to emulate Jesus in all facets of my life. That includes following His example of sacrificial living for the people of God and the salvation of their souls, which Venerable Fulton Sheen notes is often lacking in some priests.
I have encountered numerous priests in my life, and many of them have been great examples of being good, holy priests. But two come to mind especially when I think of priestly role models of living out the sacrificial aspects of the priesthood.
One of them is the late Father Ramon Decaen of our Lincoln Diocese. Born in California, he was ordained in 2000 and I first met him when he was assigned to Cristo Rey Parish in Lincoln in 2011. From the very beginning, I could see that he was a man truly dedicated to his calling, and he remained that way for the rest of his life.
In the decade that he was at Cristo Rey, Father Decaen was focused on the spiritual welfare of his parishioners, and never put his needs ahead of his flock. But being an administrator of a parish, he also had to focus on the administrative and financial needs of the parish. A considerable debt loomed over Cristo Rey when he was made the pastor, and he was motivated in paying it off. He worked tirelessly in finding ways to fundraise and to motivate the parishioners to help financially. The lights in his office would often be on late at night, as he worked diligently in serving his flock.
Father Decaen would never hesitate to go to the hospital or to an ill parishioner’s home. He also never wavered in his spiritual life, as he would always pray in the morning before his day got going, knowing that his time with God is what nourished him for the rest of his busy day.
And as the years went by, his dedication to this priesthood and parish was steadfast, but his health deteriorated. When he got sick, one could easily tell, but he still was faithful to his obligations to his people and rarely took time off due to illness. Ministering to his people was his call, and regardless of his physical condition, he did just that.
After just having completed his 10th year at Cristo Rey, at 48 years old, he tragically passed away due to Covid, in August 2021. Father Decaen, besides being my spiritual director while I attended St. Gregory the Great Seminary, was an example of a priest truly being an alter Christus and sacrificing himself for his parishioners.
Likewise, the late Father Augustus Puleo of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is another role model for me of a priest living out this vital component of the priesthood. I was assigned to Father Puleo’s parish of St. Patrick in Norristown, Penn., for my first theology apostolate. In getting to know him every Thursday, I could see he was a truly joyful priest, despite his numerous health issues. For him, every step he walked was painful, yet he never complained and was a faithful priest to his people.
In his last years at St. Patrick’s, when the parish needed major repairs in order to stay open, he worked relentlessly, amidst poor health, in fundraising more than $1.5 million when he could have easily “phoned it in.” After saving the parish, he was assigned to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary for his last two years before he passed away April 3.
Both Father Decaen and Father Puleo died too young, yet both of them knew that one’s time on earth is but a second in God’s eyes. They understood that, in what little time God gave them, they had to be faithful to the promises they made on their ordination day, in order to lead as many souls as they could to Jesus and ultimately, to heaven.
As I approach my ordination day, I have two great role models to follow, besides the most perfect example of Jesus, of not just being a priest, but a priest-victim. Please pray for me that I may be a faithful priest-victim to all my future parishioners.
