It’s a new year and Meet the Priest is celebrating by sitting down with one of the diocese’s newest priests, Father Jairo Maldonado.
Ordained on June 6, 2020, Father Jairo serves as parochial vicar at St. Francis of Assisi in Raleigh. Along with Monsignor Michael Clay, who is serving as the first diocesan pastor at the helm of St. Francis since the Holy Name Province withdrew their friars from the parish last summer.
Convivial and candid, Father Jairo shares his journey through discernment with joy.
It’s a journey that began in his kitchen in Colombia when he was seven years old. When his mother asked him what he wanted to become, he quickly answered that he wanted to be a priest. Although, he admits through laughter, his reasoning for becoming a priest may not have been fully developed at the time.
While his Catholic family was very supportive of him becoming a priest, there were hiccups along the way. “They wanted me to be a priest…they didn’t want me to wander too far,” he says. While he was accepted at his local seminary to become a diocesan priest near home, he felt called to somewhere else. It was a call that was so strong that it led to him packing his bags in secret and taking a lone bus ride to Bogota to study with Augustinian Friars.
Ultimately, he discerned that God was calling for his road to twist a bit more, but he says that his time with the friars was pivotal in both his maturation and his understanding of vocation. “I really grew up as a man and learned a lot…it was a wonderful time, but the Lord leads you, and you never know,” he says.
Hear all about his incredible journey, find out why he appreciates being called ‘Father’ and, especially if you are someone who struggles with social media, listen to how he overcame the doubts that come when you compare your journey to other people’s.
And, since it’s a new year, we are trying something new for Meet the Priest! In addition to hearing the wonderful discernment stories you have come to expect from the program, Father Jairo is the first priest to take part in a rapid-fire segment where we learn all the favorites from music style to food.