My dear brothers and sisters…Peace in the Merciful Christ!
I am Fr. Ian Quito, your new priest and your new friend here at St. Gabriel’s and in the Sunset. I am sorry for taking a while to write and formally introduce myself to you, our parishioners.
I have lived in the peninsula over the past ten years (five years as a seminarian at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park and another five years as an associate priest at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Redwood City). Time flies so fast. I feel that I was just ordained last month!
When people ask me, “When did your vocation to the priesthood start?” I always respond, “I do not know when exactly. I feel like it was given to me.” I realize that priesthood is a gift not just to me but to everyone. Pope John Paul II, in his 2003 Chrism Mass homily said, “Every vocation to the priestly ministry is an extraordinary gift of God’s love.” I am blessed and grateful for this gift, though I do not have merits of my own.
Looking back when I was younger, there were evident religious inklings in me. When I was ten, when school classes were cancelled due to typhoons in the Philippines, I would invite my cousins to go to our house not to eat and play but to pray! I would light two candles at the altar, and we would all kneel and pray the Stations of the Cross. I would grab ‘The Way of the Cross According to the Method of St. Francis of Assisi’ that was leaning on the Santo Nino Statue (Infant Jesus), and I would act as the prayer leader. Who would have thought that eleven years later, I would be serving the Archdiocese named after this great saint! Also, when I was in high school, I became a member of the Franciscan Youth in our parish in Pampanga (a province in the Philippines) for almost three years. Always grateful to those young people who helped shape me to be the person I am today.
When I was in elementary school, my mom would ask me to accompany her to a religious procession in our town. The patroness, Our Lady of Remedies, usually visits all the towns in the province. In my town, people hung garlands of white paper flowers to welcome the Virgin. My mom and I would stand right behind the statue of the Virgin before the procession started. We would arrive early to secure good spots. I vividly remember looking up at the blue mantle of the Blessed Mother thinking that she was covering and protecting me and my mother. That experience had a lasting impact on me. Perhaps, that also cultivated my devotion to the Mother of Christ. Thanks to my mother and to the Mother of Jesus!
Fast forward, it was January of 2009 when a poster at our school bulletin board caught my attention. There was a poster of a hand selecting a ‘career’ among three choices: Engineering, Medicine, or Priesthood. Of course, since it was a vocation poster, the hand pointed at the priesthood box. Then, a discernment clicked! Priesthood wasn’t a popular path, so I decided to take the entrance exam in secret.
Let me share my seminary entrance exam story:
Because I was keeping my plan under wraps, I had two problems: First, the seminary examinations were held only on Saturdays of January. I had to come up with a reason to skip the mandatory school military orientation, community service, and public safety training which was held every Saturday as well. Second, and probably the most daunting, was figuring out how to take the exams without my parents’ knowledge. I sensed that they were expecting me to take psychology, nursing, or philosophy at a Catholic University in our province or in Manila (in the capital) as that was brought up during one of the family discussions in previous months. I was scared to disappoint them.
Facing these obstacles, I had to make a good plan… And so, I did!
On the day of the exam, I prepared and dressed up for the school training. My dad dropped me off, and I asked him to wait for my text message first before picking me up (this was unusual because he would usually pick me up exactly after three hours). As planned, I skipped the training, snuck out of school and rode a ‘jeepney’ (a mode of transportation in the Philippines). I arrived at Mother of Good Counsel Seminary after an hour-long ride. As soon as I entered the seminary, I was met with suspicious eyes. Rightfully so, because I was wearing a military uniform. I shrugged it off and thought to myself, “I have to do great things for God!” A month later, my dad received a letter of acceptance from the seminary. My parents were surprised and hesitant (especially my mom), but eventually, they gave their full support.
After five years of Philosophy studies, I thought I would finish my priesthood in Pampanga and be a diocesan priest there, but the Lord had a different plan for me.
My whole family immigrated to the United States in 2014 where I continued my journey to priesthood. I am blessed to be with my parents and my sister’s young family of four. They live in the East Bay. I visit them during my days off to play with my niece and nephew.
I was ordained during the pandemic on the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, August 1, 2020. Since then, I have been supported by many prayers from family and friends. I am particularly grateful for the spiritual support of two of my great spiritual heroes: St. Therese of the Child Jesus and Servant of God Takashi Paul Nagai. I have read most of their writings and have been inspired by their examples of holy lives.
I love travelling solo. The famous French Philosopher Gabriel Marcel once said that we are all “Homo Viator” which means ‘man en route’ or ‘man the journeyer.’ My friends would tease me if I could work as a travel agent on the side because I enjoy preparing their travel itinerary sometimes. I have been to many places, but Japan is dear to my heart. It was one of the Asian countries where Saint Francis Xavier first preached the Gospel, and where Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (the first Filipino saint) was martyred. If you do not see me at the parish, I’m probably in Japan enjoying a bowl of ramen and a hot matcha tea.
I see my life in the lens of a traveler. I am sent among you, wonderful people of St. Gabriel’s. Your welcoming embrace, sincere love, and insistent prayers are very much appreciated. I am sent among you here to the great city of St. Francis. I still have a lot to learn in parish life and particularly about myself. Life is a process. It is a never-ending process, and I trust and believe in the process. There is no need to rush. Let us all be patient.
Lastly, I would like to invite all of you on September 21st at our 10:00 AM Mass. Archbishop Cordileone will be installing me as your pastor and there will be a reception at the Bedford Hall afterwards. I would love to share food with you. I hope someone from the Filipino community would bring lechon (roasted pork). Just kidding!
As a priest, I impart God’s blessings to you. And as a friend, I walk with you side by side.
Please pray for me as I pray for you.
I always ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for you and your families. Before the Mass, at the sacristy, I face the image of Our Lady of Fatima and bring all your intentions to her Immaculate Heart.
Your priest and friend,
Fr. Ian