Meet Deacon Fernando Ortega

Written by Jennifer Ladendorf for the October 21, 2007 Newsletter

This is Deacon Fernando’s third year at Holy Name of Jesus. A group of parishioners from HNOJ have been serving as Deacon Fernando’s Teaching Parish Committee. For Deacon Fernando, serving at a Teaching Parish is an introduction to ministry and parish life. “I get to know the people in the community and how they live and experience God,” he explains. “I not only learn what the church needs, but I learn from the people as well.”

Born and raised in Michoacan, Mexico, Deacon Fernando came to the United States in the summer of 1986 with a student visa. He stayed with a family member in Chicago, who offered to instruct him in the jewelry profession while he worked. Soon, Deacon Fernando’s vacation to the U.S. turned into a career move. He spent eight years in Chicago before he and his two older brothers decided to open a business in the Twin Cities. For five years, Deacon Fernando continued his work in the jewelry profession at Arte Bella in Downtown Minneapolis.

It was in a newly formed community of Sacred Heart in South Minneapolis, where Deacon Fernando’s main focus in life began to turn towards the priesthood. “Our Priest had just arrived from Venezuela,” Deacon Fernando explains. “I was a member of the youth group. The priest took an inventory of gifts in the community, and I ended up in the group of people who were interested in visiting others. From there, I was assigned to bring Communion to Hennepin County Hospital and three to four nursing homes. I did that constantly for nearly two years.”

When asked who or what inspired him to pursue the priesthood, Deacon Fernando says, “In a way, it was a community invitation to the priesthood. When visiting others, people would ask if I was the priest. Our priest noticed that I took joy in this.”

Seven and a half years later, Deacon Fernando is pursuing that dream at the St. Paul Seminary. The formation process, as Deacon Fernando explains, involves four main areas: Academic, Spiritual, Human and Pastoral. “We need to cover these different areas to become a priest competent in theology while also being able to relate to people in every situation of life and from every culture too.”

Part of that process is a commitment to the Teaching Parish. In his first year here at HNOJ, Deacon Fernando worked in the Middle School Faith Formation Program, leading a group of 7th Grade Boys on Wednesday evenings. “It is a lot of work, but very rewarding,” he says of Middle School Faith Formation. “You get to know the students and what questions they have about the Church and God.” In year two, Deacon Fernando participated in the RCIA program. These experiences gave him a window into specific ministries. “It’s been very valuable to get that exposure,” he explains.

This year, Deacon Fernando will be preaching at the 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses on a monthly basis. “I began preaching at Saint Charles Borromeo in Northeast Minneapolis through the summer,” he says. “I enjoyed it a lot. I found out that I was able to get over my nervousness. The process of putting together the homily is eye-opening and rewarding.”

Experience Deacon Fernando’s homilies first-hand at any of the Sunday morning Masses listed below:

• November 18, 2007
• December 9, 2007
• January 13, 2008
• February 10, 2008
• March 9, 2008
• April 13, 2008