Claretian volunteer returns to Perth Amboy for diaconal ordination

David Gutierrez was a Claretian volunteer in the summer of 2012 when he met members of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Perth Amboy. At that time, the friendships and spirit he encountered impressed him and created a long-term relationship with the parish and the people.

He returned to Perth Amboy as a seminarian in 2020-2021, during the pandemic, and found that same spirit continued. More than 12 years after his volunteer summer, he was ordained a transitional deacon, en route to priesthood, at Our Lady of Fatima.

The parish bulletin proclaims in both Spanish and English “Many Cultures, Only One Faith.” That variety of cultures and strength of the faith were evident as Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen ordained Gutierrez to the Order of Deacon at a bilingual Mass Nov. 6.

Concelebrants included Father Paul Keller, provincial superior of the Claretian Province of USA-Canada; Claretian Father Francisco Javier Reyes, the province’s prefect of formation; Claretian Father Gilles Njobam, pastor; and priests from the Diocese of Metuchen and other Claretian communities.

In his homily, Bishop Checchio expressed his joy at being able to celebrate an ordination to the diaconate with the parish and said he was “certainly grateful to David for his response to the Lord.”

The Bishop said his prayer and the prayer of the entire Church is “that as you progress in your preparation for the holy priesthood, your life will be more and more conformed to the Gospel, and you will more clearly emulate the sacrifice that was celebrated on Calvary and is celebrated at every Mass.”

Bishop Checchio asked the congregation to pray that more men will answer the call to the priesthood.

“That is certainly what the Claretians pray for, more vocations for their order and for the Diocese of Metuchen,” he said.

The Claretians, a worldwide congregation of missionary priests and brothers, have a commitment to serving the Hispanic communities in the U.S. and Canada, and the order has served the Catholic Latino community in the Perth Amboy area for more than 80 years.

Since Our Lady of Fatima was established in 1968, it has been under the care of the Claretian order.

Michelle Diaz has been a parishioner of Our Lady of Fatima her entire life and is a language arts teacher at Perth Amboy Catholic School. She said the parish feels like a family to her.

“When I am here, I feel that I am home. That is why I was so was pleased to be asked to be a lector at Deacon David’s ordination here, where he had served as part of his priestly formation,” she said.

The path to priesthood was not what Deacon Gutierrez imagined for his future. As a young man, he was part of a musical group that played classic and Spanish rock music, and he aspired to be a rock star. But praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle, he felt called to consider a different future and eventually to recognize a call to a priestly vocation.

Learning from that experience, his advice to others is, “If you are asking God to show you a direction in life, be sure that you are prepared and willing to follow the path the Lord has chosen for you.”

Before the final blessing, Juana González, who serves as the director of Claretian family vocations at the parish, expressed her gratitude for “this day of joy.”

She thanked Bishop Checchio, the Claretian leadership, and all who helped with the celebration. González thanked Deacon Gutierrez for accepting the Lord’s invitation and mentioned always being impressed by his continuing challenge to her and everyone to be true to one’s vocation. She prayed that the spirit of St. Anthony Claret would continue to inspire vocations and said, “Tonight we are all Claretians.”