Former NASA chemist Deacon Javier Fuentes finds faith in science and a more “satisfying” job

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Note: Archbishop William E. Lori will ordain eight men to the priesthood June 24 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 15 to June 22. Click here to read them. 

While working as a chemical technician at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt and breaking down compounds, Deacon Javier A. Fuentes Cabrera found conviction in God’s existence.

The math behind an electron traveling the nucleus of an atom is so intimately perfect, he said, that if it had been off by a fraction of a percent, there wouldn’t be life. 

“Clearly, this is God’s hand at work,” Deacon Fuentes said.   

After obtaining a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland in College Park, Deacon Fuentes worked at Goddard in the Planetary Environments Laboratory. 

He participated in several missions, including the Mars Curiosity Rover, from which he received and analyzed Martian geological data. He also found materials from Mars resembling the Earth’s and ran comparative studies.

Although the Puerto Rican native enjoyed his career at Goddard, he didn’t find it “as fully satisfying” as a potential priestly vocation. 

After talking to U.S. Army Chaplain Father Jesús Muñoz (his spiritual director, friend and compatriot), he attended a discernment retreat where his thoughts of becoming a priest “solidified.” 

“I’ll admit I had a call to the priesthood from early on,” Deacon Fuentes said. 

The seed of the priestly vocation was planted in him two decades ago, when Deacon Fuentes became an altar server at La Gruta de Lourdes in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, soon after receiving his first Communion. 

“I had very good priest witnesses growing up, who made an impact for me,” Deacon Fuentes said. “I saw how important and joyful their lives were, and I desired to be like them.”

One of the most crucial moments in which a priest had a “powerful presence” in Deacon Fuentes’ life was when his grandmother was dying from cancer in the hospital. 

“I remember vividly ‘Padre Pedro’ came to the hospital within minutes to be with her and with us,” he recalled. “Not only did he bring God to the room, but (he also) brought us to God.”

“People can go in any direction during those difficult moments, but it’s the priest’s calming presence that gathers people,” Deacon Fuentes said. 

He looks forward to serving several ministries as a priest including faith formation, and assisting Hispanic ministry and military families. 

Despite constant relocation for 27 years as a military family, the Fuentes found “home in the Catholic Church.”

He hopes to use his experiences as a military child to accompany and comfort families going through deployment, moving and finding a community. 

After his father retired from the Army, Deacon Fuentes arrived at St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor in Buckeystown in 2010, a pastorate parish with St. John the Evangelist in Frederick, where he volunteered as altar server and in ministries such as cancer support, confirmation and youth ministry. 

Born in San Juan and growing up in a “boricua” household, Deacon Fuentes grew up with particular Catholic Hispanic devotions and his prayer life consists of prayers in Spanish and English. 

“Hispanic ministry has always been a part of me,” Deacon Fuentes said. “I love the idea of building bridges between worshiping communities and bringing the vibrancy of Hispanic culture to the church.” 

Among his favorite pastoral assignments were teaching fifth grade religion and substituting for a middle school science teacher at St. Joseph School in Cockeysville, where he would tell students to “fire away” with questions about faith and science. 

“I don’t always have the answers but let’s journey together and find them,” he said. “It is important to be open about the connections between faith and science because they are not separate, rather than hand-in-glove.” 

Deacon Fuentes hopes to be like the priests before him, “to serve as a bridge by bringing God’s love and mercy to the people and bringing the people to God.” 

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