Deacon Acuña discovers renewed faith in the example of St. Dominic Savio

Note: Archbishop William E. Lori will ordain six men to the priesthood June 22 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland. The following is a profile of one of those future priests. New profiles of the other new priests will be added to the Catholic Review site daily from June 16 to June 21. Click here to read them.

Growing up in the small Catholic town of LaPlata in the heart of Colombia, Deacon Andrés R. Ángel Acuña was raised in a loving Catholic family, attended public school and practiced the Catholic lifestyle.

“I also prayed the rosary at home with my family, and attended Mass every week; but despite that, I was not truly living the Catholic life,” said Deacon Acuña, 37.

Deacon Acuña admits that he struggled to find his footing in his early years, and displayed very little interest in school or spirituality. Then one day when he was 11, he found himself accompanying his mother to an appointment with their priest. During the visit, the priest offered him a book about St. Dominic Savio. 

“I remember saying, ‘No way!’”  Deacon Acuña recalled. “I hate reading!’ But then my mother gave me one of those looks, and I knew I’d better be quiet.”

Despite his initial resistance, Deacon Acuña found himself drawn to his new book. He realized almost immediately that he and St. Dominic shared significant similarities in age and circumstance. But there were differences as well.

“I noticed that even though he was poor, hungry and in pain, he was still so happy,” Deacon Acuña said. “I thought to myself, ‘I have food and I’m not sick, why can’t I be happy like that?’ Then I realized, that (St. Dominic) was living Jesus in a way that I was not. So I decided to imitate everything about St. Dominic Savio. That is the how I fell in love with Jesus.”

Deacon Acuña embraced his newfound love for Christ, and requested more books about the lives of different saints. He recalled that his mother couldn’t believe he was asking her for more books, but she happily complied with his request.

As time went on, Deacon Acuña’s love for God transformed his heart and mind, and he began to think seriously about his future through the lens of faith. By the end of high school, he decided to seek out the monastic life, and become a monk.

He spent some time in a Franciscan community in Bogota, Colombia, and later was accepted into a Benedictine monastery where he lived for two and a half years. It was in this environment that he discerned a vocation to the priesthood.

When Deacon Acuña came to the United States to enroll in Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, he experienced significant culture shock, and deeply missed his home in the mountains of Colombia. But gradually, he began to acclimate to his new home, and now he insists that when he travels to South America for brief visits, he is anxious to return home to America.

During his diaconate year at Sacred Heart in Glyndon, Deacon Acuña has been blessed to assist his community sacramentally by performing house blessings, baptisms and other pastoral duties that are often delegated to deacons; but he admits that this has made him even more eager to receive the apostolic authority of the Church, so that he can fully serve his parish community in his vocation as Priest.

“I can’t wait to become a priest,” Deacon Acuña declared, “so that I can do more for the people, and my brother priests.”

Editor’s Note: This story was update June 28, 2024, to correct several reporting errors.

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