Following a long journey to the priesthood, Father Alexander Piñacue, 49, looks forward to working closely with parishioners and being a witness of faith.
Born in Cali, Colombia, he is one of four children born to Aura Piñacue. He was baptized at Santísima Trinidad Church in Palmira and received First Communion and Confirmation at San Nicolas Church. Like his siblings – Carlos Alberto, Flor Maria and Hector Dario – he attended Catholic schools.
After graduating from high school, he wanted to join the seminary but could not do so because of a lack of proper sacramental documentation needed at the time. He worked various jobs for 15 years, including being a manager at a lithography company. Then, he spent a year with a Catholic religious community in the mountains, helping them with their printing machine. He said that the community of Eucharistic Hermits of the Celestial Father taught him to “dedicate oneself to prayer, work, meditation and silence.”
The spiritual clarity he gained prompted him to get involved in parish life. His pastor, a young priest named Father Vicente Duarte, asked him if he wanted to be a priest. Father Piñacue thought himself too old and believed he could not be a seminarian. Yet, he answered without hesitation: “That has been my dream since I was a child.”
To this day, he credits Father Duarte with convincing him that pursuing his dream was possible.
In 1999, he began his pre-philosophy studies at the Seminario Mayor Arquidiocesano Bucaramanga before going to Seminario de Cristo Sacerdote, Ceja Antoquia.
He met priests who worked in poor communities where the parish had to be built from the ground up. Seeing them celebrate the sacraments in between construction work – often with dirt stains on their arms – inspired him to work for the community.
Helping the Vulnerable
“I have always believed that helping others is a good thing, even when you don’t have much to give,” he said. “Helping those who are vulnerable – the sick, the poor, children – that is why I wanted to be a priest.”
In 2008, the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., which had sponsored him in Colombia, asked him to come to the U.S. to finish his studies. He studied theology at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.
“But because of how hard it has been for me to learn English,” he said, the Diocese of Paterson decided it could no longer sponsor his studies.
As he discerned what to do, a friend recommended the Brooklyn Diocese. He talked to the vocation director about joining the diocese. During the vetting process, the diocese determined that he should spend a year at the John Paul II House of Discernment, Cypress Hills, and study English at St. John’s University, Jamaica. Afterward, it was decided he could continue his studies.
During his formation, he tried to follow St. John Vianney’s example. “This holy priest struggled to learn Latin, yet became a good priest,” he said.
He graduated from Holy Apostles Seminary with a master’s of divinity degree.
He gained pastoral experience when assigned to Our Lady of the Angelus, Rego Park, and Immaculate Conception, Astoria, where he continued serving as a deacon.
“The parish is excellent and there is a great communication; we all work together,” he said. “There is great diversity. There are activities in English, Spanish, Italian and Tagalog and I like to participate in the activities of the different groups.”
He found the parishioners’ faithfulness inspiring. “When I see laypeople dedicated to prayer and God’s work – waking up at 5 a.m. to pray the rosary, coming to the parish late at night – it motivates me,” he said.
These parishioners will join him at ordination, where Father Leonardo Jaramillo and Msgr. Patrick Brown, from the Paterson Diocese, will vest him with priestly garments.
Father Piñacue will offer his first Mass of thanksgiving at Immaculate Conception Church, Astoria, on June 28 at 12 p.m.
Related:
Pope Francis to Priests: Be Men of Tenderness
Bishop DiMarzio: New Priests Are Committed to Sacrifice
