Deacon Brett Barrios Assigned to SPN

We are thrilled to announce Deacon Elect Brett Barrios has been assigned to St. Philip Neri!  Brett served at St. Philip Neri during the summer of 2023 for his seminary internship. Since that time, he has returned often, and our parish community has come to know and love him. Brett will be ordained a Deacon on Saturday, December 13th.

Continue reading below about Brett's spiritual journey to the priesthood.

When I was ten years old I began to feel like God might be calling me to the priesthood. It is hard to explain exactly what that feels like. I think the best way to put it is during Mass I would keep seeing myself in the role of the priest. Being so young I didn’t really focus too much on it and put it to the back of my mind. Several years later during my time at Archbishop Rummel High School, the thought of the priesthood kept creeping back, especially during my time in prayer. 

Although I kept experiencing the invitation to the priesthood, I had already planned my life and the direction I wanted it to go. I wanted a nice job, I wanted nice cars, I wanted an expensive house with a big family. I had it all figured out and could not be bothered with the thought of giving everything up. This led me to stop going to Mass and eventually to stop praying altogether.

After Rummel I began working in the food industry. I worked my way up through the ranks and became an operations manager. I was loving my career and was very successful in it. But as time passed something felt off. With each raise I earned and the more material things I filled my life with, I felt like something was missing. Even though I had everything I wanted I still felt like something was missing. I felt like I was being invited again back to prayer. And as a result of that prayer I decided to start going to Mass again.

After a few weeks of attending Mass regularly I felt ready to get right with the Lord and with the Church so I received the Sacrament of Penance. It was not long after receiving that Sacrament that I started feeling the Lord once again calling me to the priesthood.

I waited a year before I started the discernment process. When I felt like it was the Lord’s will that I join the seminary, I left my job and trusted in His will. I am soon to be ordained a transitional deacon and am looking forward to engaging in full time ministry.