Two men to be ordained to the priesthood for the Sacramento Diocese from different cultures share not only common roots in their faith, but a bond in discovering their vocations by paying attention to the hand of God in their lives.

Hernando Gomez and Santiago Raudes will be ordained by Bishop William K. Weigand on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento.

Father Hernandez Gomez	Father Santiago Raudes

Gomez, 36, is one of 10 children born to a devout Catholic family in Zapatoca, a small town in the Colombian province of Santander. He remembers his maternal grandmother first talking to him as a seven-year-old about the virtues of religious life, at a time when just being a kid seemed most attractive.

As a teen-ager, Gomez enjoyed a large circle of friends, developed his talent as a musician, and worked at a variety of jobs. He also began spending time in prayerful meditation. In 1989, following a visit to his hometown by the Camillian Fathers, Gomez entered their seminary in Bogota.

After two years he left the seminary to consider a vocation other than the priesthood. A few years later, a friend arranged for him to meet with a Jesuit priest who invited Gomez to join a group of seminarians who would serve in the Sacramento Diocese. He believes the meeting was providential.

“No one knew of my plans to return to study for the priesthood, not even my parents,” he said. “It was just between God and myself.”

Coincidentally, Father Humberto Gomez, then director of Hispanic seminarians for the diocese, was in Bogota on a recruitment trip.

“What I saw (in Gomez) was an eagerness to serve the church—a very open, outgoing person,” said Father Gomez, who now serves as chaplain at Preston School of Industry in Ione.

After arriving in Sacramento, Gomez spent his pastoral year at St. Patrick Parish in Placerville from 1999 to 2000. He then attended St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park from 2000 to 2002, earning a master’s degree in divinity.

In May 2002, Gomez was assigned to serve as a transitional deacon at Holy Family Parish in Citrus Heights.

When asked which of the many duties he will most enjoy about being a priest, he said that ministering to and for people is paramount.

“I’ve done it as a layperson, as a seminarian, and a deacon, and now I will be doing ministry as a priest,” he said. “It’s not all talking, but being very open, listening to people.”

He said as a seminarian he has also discovered the satisfaction of taking the time to prepare a good homily.

“People deserve the best—a homily rooted in the Gospel, talking about real life situations,” Gomez said.

Raudes, 39, was born in Managua, Nicaragua. Raised Catholic and one of four children, he said the person who most influenced his relationship with God during childhood was a great aunt.

“She was a very religious, devout person, and I was very special to her,” he said. “I prayed with her every day.”

In 1981, at age 18, during a time of political unrest and economic instability, Raudes left Nicaragua to join his brother who was living in Sacramento.

Two years later, he felt called to religious life. Raudes talked to family, friends and the diocesan office of vocations, and he prayed a lot. But for a time, he wasn’t sure priesthood was the path of religious service he should take.

Then shortly after reading a book about the alleged apparitions of Mary
at Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Raudes had a dream. He was standing on a mountaintop with a man dressed in a white tunic, a hood hiding his face. The two walked together down the mountain to where a mass of people were waiting.

“The man in the tunic put something in my hand, and I started passing it out to the people. When I woke up, I decided to start discerning more carefully,” Raudes said.

He became a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Sacramento and was active in several prayer groups in his church and at St. Ignatius Parish. Raudes also served as a catechist at a migrant workers’ camp in Davis.

He also crossed paths with Father Gomez, who at the time was in residence at Immaculate Conception.

“(Raudes) was very active in the Hispanic community,” he said. “He has a deep spirituality and love for the church, a very mature man in his faith.”

In 1994, Raudes entered Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. In 1998, he entered St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park to begin theological studies.

A year later he entered the North American College in Rome, where in 2001 he was ordained a transitional deacon at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

As the day of his ordination to the priesthood draws near, Raudes said he especially looks forward to pastoral care in a diocese represented by many cultures, and to caring for the needs of the poor in the community.

“I have an openness to people and different cultures. I find it joyful,” he said. “In the priesthood there are many places, many gifts, and a lot of needs. Whatever the need, I’m open to serving.”

He sees his unwavering trust in God as the greatest gift he brings to his vocation.

“In my life, God has moved so many times and has worked through events to bring me to where I am today,” Raudes said.

Currently assigned to the tribunal office of the diocese, Raudes will leave Oct. 3 for Rome for one year to complete studies in canon law.

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