Our Seminarians
Our Seminarians > Felix William Herrera
Felix William Herrera
Home Parish: Blessed Sacrament, Jackson Heights
Pastoral Year Parish:
Seminary: Cathedral Seminary Residence
The biggest thing for me was to stop running away from God's call. I had to sit in silence and give God my heart, so that His words could guide me. The only way to respond to THE CALL was to allow God to speak to me in the silence of my heart; namely prayer, then I could say YES.
The great thing about the Diocese of Brooklyn is that we are in the greatest city in the world; we are part of New York City. The different stories you encounter around the diocese is awesome! This aspect of the diocese explains why there isn't any place better than Brooklyn! The support that the people of God have given to me is something in which words cannot describe; it can only be experienced, one for which I will be eternally grateful for.
I began my formation for the Priesthood of Jesus Christ by entering the high school formation program of the diocese at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Elmhurst. Though as I reflect, I realize that when I became an Altar Server in the fourth grade, I in someway began to hear the whispers of Christ calling me. When I served at Mass, an inner peace overwhelmed me and allowed me to connect to God; I was being given a hint of what God wanted from me.
Cathedral Preparatory Seminary truly opened my heart to the vocation that I was
running away from. From the Prep Seminary, I entered the college level formation program at Cathedral Seminary Residence of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston. I will complete my studies in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint John’s University with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Theology. I hope to begin my theological studies in the fall, please God.
Like anything in life, you have your ups and downs. Life is the greatest gift that God has given us, and our gift to God is by following His will. The seminary has opened up new ways of spiritual and intellectual growth. Life as a seminarian is in a way very different from the rest of the world; and yet, a seminarian is always a part of the world. As a seminarian, you are given the opportunity to seek the will of God through prayer and human formation; both to me, the spiritual and human aspect of formation co-exist. You can't have one without the other.
The biggest suggestion that has helped me, and I encourage you, is to place your two feet on one goal. In other words, you can't have one foot on the things of this world and have another on the priesthood. If you feel that God is calling you, give Him your heart and He will guide you. Trust me it may not happen over night, but if you give it your all, God in
return will give you His heart.
The world may seem as if it is against you, even those that are close to you; but know one thing, if God wants you to be a priest, God will give you the strength to endure. Do not run away from Him.
Come to the Seminary and check it out. Seek the ways that will expose you to the life of a priest, and see whether or not this is for you. Of course above all, pray, pray, and pray for the gift to understand your calling in life.