By Theresa Carson
On May 24, Most Rev. Robert Lombardo CFR, auxiliary bishop of Chicago, presided over the priestly ordination of six Divine Word Missionaries at Holy Child Jesus Church in Chicago. The Society of the Divine Word Chicago Province presents a series about the newly ordained priests. Today, we highlight the journey of Father Christian Castro SVD.
Newly ordained Father Christian Castro SVD has had his sights set on the priesthood since he was 12 years old.
“When God calls you, you feel it,” he said during a conversation before ordination. At the time, he served as a transitional deacon at Holy Family in Houston, Texas.
“I felt it in my heart,” he said. “I believe God already had a plan.”
He took that call to heart. But he didn’t rush the process.
“I decided to wait to make sure I had enough age, to make sure it was not mine, that it was really God calling me,” he said before taking a break to answer the parish telephone and a knock at the door.
“It’s usually not this busy on Wednesdays,” he continued as he patiently responded to parishioners’ needs.
Born in Morelia, Mexico, Father Castro and his family immigrated to the United States when he was a child. At the time, neither he nor his parents knew the English language. That hurdle did not stop him, though. The English dictionary became a constant source for him.
He learned how to overcome obstacles early in life. While living in Mexico, his father spent much time working in the United States while his mother’s health challenges prevented her from being able to work outside the home.
“I come from a migrant family that has struggled,” Father Castro said. “I didn’t grow up with my dad and so I was wounded inside. I said, ‘Jesus, if you can heal my wound, I will give you my life.’”
After immigrating as a youth, Father Castro became involved in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish in San Diego. His pastor became an inspiration for him.
Eventually, Father Castro became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He worked two jobs—as a cashier and as an English tutor—to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in counseling and social change from the San Diego State University (SDSU).
Priesthood was part of the plan even then. Ten years ago, he told the SDSU College of Education’s Informed & Inspired newsletter, “I did not encounter one class that I did not enjoy. I view every class as an opportunity to be prepared for my future role as a priest in a diversifying world that would require me to be knowledgeable in different subjects.”
Attracted to the Society of the Divine Word’s diversity, he professed vows with the religious order in 2018. For his Cross-Cultural Training Program (CTP), a component of the SVD formation process, he served in Brazil.
It helped him to better understand the meaning of mission, he said.
“Father Roger Schroeder [professor of Intercultural Studies and Ministry Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD Professor of Mission and Culture at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago] told me to let the people teach me, to let them fill the cup,” he said. “You have to understand the dynamics of a region, who leaders are, how the Church works.”
During his CTP, Father Castro worked in a low-income neighborhood in the Archdiocese of Aracaju and served Parish Santa Cruz (Holy Cross). With a population of about 12,000, Parish Santa Cruz ministers to many who live in government housing to avoid homelessness and life in high-risk areas.
Even with government housing, the area lacks basic urban infrastructure, such as sewers, sanitation and an electrical grid. They also suffer from an unreliable healthcare system, inadequate public schools and limited job opportunities.
In addition to pastoral care, the parish offers job training and access to psychologists and attorneys.
“It’s about walking with people, being with the sheep like Pope Francis has been saying,” Father Castro said.
“Brazil changed me. Brazil prepared me for Africa,” said Father Castro, whose first assignment is to Mozambique. “The ministry of presence, that’s what I can give. My presence and my enthusiasm.”