Geraldo Ranin traveled thousands of miles on his journey to the priesthood, but found inspiration right at home in the town of Duero in the south central part of the Philippines.

Now he is ready to take the final step of that journey on Jan. 8 at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, where he will be ordained by Bishop William K. Weigand.

“All things are from the Lord,” said Ranin, who enters the priesthood as “a humble, simple person.”

“I think this is the will of God for me so it will be fine,” he said.

Ranin, 32, is the youngest of eight siblings. His mother, a devout Catholic, led daily prayer at home and made sure the family always attended Sunday Mass together.

His first thought of a vocation to religious life occurred when Ranin was five years old. He recalls sitting with his mother in the front row of church for the ordination of a Passionist priest.

“I told my mom I wanted to be like that,” he said. “That was the gateway to my thinking.”

Ranin attended Immaculate Academy High School, where he vividly recalls a visit to the school by several priests who were recruiting candidates to the priesthood. Feeling bad about the fact that no one signed up for the seminary, Ranin and a couple of friends checked the “yes” box on an application form.

Within months he was accepted at St. Camillus College Seminary in Marikina City, Manila.

Ranin, then 17, realized he still needed to experience life outside of the seminary, to once and for all eliminate another vocation he had considered as a seaman.

When he was 22, he left the seminary and worked for a time as a teacher in a Catholic school. Then a local bishop asked Ranin to assist him and learn more about the life of a priest by spending time in prayer and reflection and studying Scripture.

In 1999, he entered Seminario Mayor de San Carlos in Cebu City and was in his fourth year of theological studies when his cousin, Father Cormac Lacre, parochial vicar of Good Shepherd Parish in Elk Grove, encouraged him to meet with Fathers Mark Richards and James Murphy, then serving in the diocesan office of vocations.

After being accepted into the diocesan seminary program, Ranin enrolled in 2003 at Mount Angel Seminary in Mount Angel, Ore., where he earned a master’s degree in divinity.

Ranin’s pastoral year was spent at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Vallejo.

“For me it was an amazing experience,” he said. “I saw the real life of a priest and it was a blessing.”

A large parish with “a lot of life going on,” he found the rich diversity of St. Catherine of Siena a good transition into a new culture.

Ranin became involved in the parish’s Lazarus Ministry, taught religious education at St. Catherine of Siena School, worked with youth at Camp Pendola and made home visits to the sick in the Vallejo area.

But it was in ministry to youth and young adults that Ranin felt especially alive.

“I believe like the pope there is much wisdom in the youth. I learn from them and admire them very much,” he said.

Following his ordination, Ranin will celebrate his first Mass at noon on Jan. 15 at St. Catherine of Siena Parish.

One week later he will celebrate two weekend Masses at Sacred Heart Parish in Anderson and St. Anne Mission in Cottonwood.

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