Biography

My name is Jose Alberto Flores, I was born in Santa Ana, California on September 16, 1995. My parents are Martin Flores and Ofelia Gonzales. I am the fourth of five children. I have three brothers and one sister. Although, I was born in California, I attended K-9 grade in my parents’ hometown in Jalisco, Mexico until I moved back to California to continue my studies in high school. I think the call to the priesthood was in me since an early, however it developed and grew stronger as the years went by. I recalled being always inclined toward religious matters since I was in grade school, but my Catholic family had a strong influence by raising me up in the faith and providing me with the spiritual tools that helped me draw near to God, which were the Sacraments. I really looked up at the important role that the priest has in a parish community. Not in the sense of being above the people but in the opposite, in the way in which he is call to service the community by giving his whole self for the the kingdom of God by providing the spiritual needs of the people. Having had a positive experience in very hard-working community back in California it helped me realize the great influence a priest has and the amazing things God does to his people through the work of the priest. It was in this particular community that God’s plan for me started unfolding itself and I started discerning priesthood with a more open heart and mind. Something that really motives me and keeps me going is opportunity to get to know myself and God more deeply and to have the hope of one day being able to serve his people completely. What motived me to take this step in my life was the great community I found myself in back in California. Their unconditional support and love for God and others was something that it really encouraged me and gave me hope and confidence to make such decision. My advice for anyone contemplating the call to the priesthood or religious life is not to be afraid and to give themselves an opportunity to get to know God more deeply and ultimately themselves. I surely believe that there are more things to gain than to loose and that the better place to get to explore the call is at the seminary.