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Deacon Hernando Patino is a man of diverse interests and talents. A medical doctor with a passion for pediatric care; an active leader in the Hispanic community throughout New Jersey; a student and practitioner of classical Spanish guitar and now a deacon who can exercise his ministry at his home parish -- St. Magdalen de Pazzi, Flemington.
Born in Bucaramanga, Columbia, near the border with Venezuela, Deacon Patino was raised mostly in Cali, Columbia. His father was a highway supervisor and initially the family moved with his work. After graduating from high school in Cali, Deacon Patino attended the Universidad del Valle, where he earned his medical degree.
In his first position as a doctor, he worked at the hospital of the university where he met his wife, Franci, who was a nurse at that facility. They have three grown children, Nataly and Mitchell both born in Columbia, and Peter, who was born in the United States.
Once Deacon Patino moved to the United States with his family, he accepted an offer to join the medical staff at Malmonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., where he completed his residency in pediatric medicine. While the family lived in Brooklyn, they joined and became active in the parish of St. Mary of the Assumption, Elizabeth, attending Mass there most weekends. At the parish, Deacon Patino served as a lector and taught Bible studies. His activities, however, were not limited to Elizabeth. He helped organize and worked with Latino communities in other areas in Northern New Jersey.
When the family moved to Flemington, they were drawn to St. Magdalen de Pazzi due in no small part to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that the parish offers. Once again, they became very active with the Hispanic community this time in Flemington. It was there that the idea of applying to become a deacon first entered Deacon Patino’s thoughts.
Although he had a very close friend and a godparent to Peter, who was a deacon at St. Mary of the Assumption in Elizabeth, Deacon Patino had never considered the vocation for himself. Then, his pastor at St. Magdalen de Pazzi, Father Timothy A. Christy, and Father Antony L. Arockiadoss, parochial vicar, both asked him to consider applying to the permanent diaconate. So, with the encouragement of a number of parishioners and friends, too, he applied, was accepted, and began his journey to becoming a deacon.
Franci said she had known for a long while that this was the path to which the Lord was calling him.
Deacon Patino was a part of the diocese’s first diaconate formation program taught entirely in Spanish. On May 14, along with 14 other men, he was ordained by Bishop James F. Checchio at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen.
With his commitment to pediatric health, his career has been devoted to that area of medicine. He has held research and management positions at Schering Plough, Merck, and Cubist Pharmaceuticals. He now serves as senior medical director at Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Pediatric Drug Development.
Deacon Patino has written numerous journal articles and given presentations that have contributed to the advancement of research in his area of interests and expertise.
Given his academic background, Deacon Patino did not find the educational component of the formation program to be a problem. The strong support he received from Franci, his children and extended family and friends throughout the five years of preparation allowed him to deal with the changes and adjustments that were present in his personal and professional activities.
One area of his life that was impacted negatively was the lack of time he could devote to his study of classical Spanish guitar music. It is an omission he plans to correct.
In his new role, Deacon Patino said that he looks forward to giving back to the various individuals and communities that have supported him on his journey [to the diaconate]. He hopes to be involved in the various aspects of parish life and to assist all the members of St. Magdalen de Pazzi Parish.
