CHURCH OF
Saint Mary
Meet Jesús Hernandez: A Fait A
God willing, Jesús Hernandez will be ordained as a deacon in June 2022.
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fter attending a retreat that completely changed his life, Jesús Hernandez and his family have found true peace and joy in the Lord. As a result, he got more involved at the parish and was able to grow in stewardship and faith — he has even begun the process of becoming a deacon. Jesús grew up in Michoacán, México as the eighth of 12 siblings — six brothers and six sisters. “I grew up in a Catholic home, and my parents always wanted to bring us closer to the Church,” he says. “When I was 16 years old, I immigrated to the U.S. with my older brother, and came to work in California for a few months before moving to Minnesota where I’ve now been for 23 years. Three years ago we bought a house here in Melrose, and we hope to stay here for the rest of our lives.” Married with five children between 8 months and 18 years old, Jesús experienced a conversion of heart after attending the Koinonía spiritual retreat about 10 years ago. “I used to be a man who wasn’t close to the Church — I would always have my kids baptized, but I never dedicated my life to Christ,” he says. “I felt a call to grow closer to God specifically during this retreat. Throughout the retreat, I became reacquainted with the voice of God, and with the testimony of my brothers and sisters in Christ. I realized that I felt emptiness and pain because of my distance from God’s love and mercy. God asked me to serve Him with my life. After the retreat, everything changed — my love for God and the Church grew and grew, and I was changing, too.” Jesús’ entire family noticed and was affected by this change, as well — and as a family, they embarked on a faith journey together. “God called me to heal our domestic Church and to live with Him at the center of our lives, as a family,” he says. “My wife can testify to the joy that entered our home after this conversion of heart — my personality changed, we started communicating better, and we began to fully understand what it means to live in Christ. Since we started attending Mass at the parish, I really began to understand what it means to have Jesus as the center of my life, in my home and in my heart. It brings us peace.” This new clarity made it clear to Jesús that God was also calling him to be of service to the parish community. He has served as a lector and an
