SUNSET PARK — In Deacon Juan Herrera’s hands, a guitar is more than just an instrument to make music. It’s an evangelization tool.
Deacon Herrera, who was ordained into the diaconate in November, recently completed his studies at St. Joseph Seminary and College in Yonkers and is eagerly awaiting his ordination to the priesthood in the Diocese of Brooklyn on June 28.
He has spent the past several months serving at St. Michael Church in Sunset Park, where, in addition to his regular duties, he often plays guitar at Masses and parish parties, organizes a Bible study group, and spends time making rosary beads by hand.
Looking ahead to life as a priest, Deacon Herrera, 36, said he hopes to use his musical talent to draw in newcomers and help cradle Catholics grow closer to their faith.
“I will use it outside of the Mass,” Deacon Herrera said of his guitar.
“I think it is also important to gather the people, to bring the people to church and show them the gentle and kind face of the Church,” he explained. “This is a great opportunity to invite people to have fun and praise and also play music … [to] meet each other in our own lives.”
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Growing up in Medellín, Colombia, Deacon Herrera said he loved attending Mass every Sunday with his parents at St. Gertrude the Great Church. He recalled being fascinated by the altar and the priest wearing vestments while celebrating Mass.
Deacon Herrera didn’t consider becoming a priest until high school. He said it all started when a girl he had a crush on raised her hand when a priest asked for volunteers to become altar servers. Thinking he could impress the girl, he raised his hand, too.
Deacon Herrera said he loved being an altar server and soon found himself immersed in parish life, also as a youth minister and catechist.
“I was involved in church as I never imagined,” he said.
The girl he had a crush on never became an altar server.
As Deacon Herrera took on more roles in the parish, he said he felt that God was calling him to the priesthood, but he didn’t answer the call right away because his father advised him to get a university degree first. He earned degrees in philosophy and literature and then taught for seven years.
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“I finished college and worked as a teacher. But the desire (for the priesthood) was still there in my heart,” he explained. “It’s like when you have a table with four legs, but one of the legs is missing. That was my life.”
However, God didn’t give up on the idea of the priesthood for him. A family friend, Father Gabriel Toro, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, tried to convince him to vacation in Brooklyn and Queens and explore the possibility of the priesthood.
However, Deacon Herrera was hesitant for two reasons: He didn’t have a visa, and he didn’t speak English.
However, Father Toro, the former pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Jackson Heights, was persistent. Eventually, Deacon Herrera came to New York in 2019.
Father Toro introduced him to Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Octavio Cisneros — a mentor to many young priests — and Father Sean Suckiel, who was the diocese’s vocations director.
Deacon Herrera said the trip convinced him he was indeed destined for the priesthood. He returned home to Colombia, said his goodbyes, and came back to the U.S., where he entered St. Joseph Seminary and College in 2020. He also learned to speak English.
“I was very attracted to the priesthood here and the parishes, and particularly because I saw the necessity of Spanish-speaking priests here in the diocese,” he said. “I think the Lord is calling me to a specific ministry in a specific place.”
When Deacon Herrera was a boy sitting in St. Gertrude the Great Church, he said he would look up at the altar and ask his mother about the priest. “Mama, who is that guy on the altar?” he recalled. Now, he will be “that guy” on the altar.
But his guitar will never be far away.