Sergio Fernandez St. John Vianney College Seminary (Sophmore Year) Home Parish: Incarnation, Tampa

Sergio is a native of Itagüí (near Medellin), Colombia.  His family moved to Tampa in 2002.  He has one older brother whom he admires very much.  Sergio started Leto High School not knowing any English, but soon became very fluent.  He had many friends and played on his high school soccer team (which won the district championship his senior year when he was captain).  He still enjoys playing soccer as well as listening to music, playing video games, and going to the movies.  Since high school, Sergio has been working full-time while trying to figure out what God is asking of him.  Ready to start working towards the priesthood, Sergio decided to give his full attention to discerning a possible call to the priesthood.  He is in his sophmore year at St. John Vianney College Seminary.

Do your family and friends think it is a good idea that you’re becoming a priest?  They all support me, and also they all respect that a lot. Even though some of them don't understand why I’m doing this, they all respect me and they support me because they all rather see me succeed in one way or another than just be a slacker.

Do you ever have any fun? What do you do in your free time?  I love to play soccer with the other dudes; as a music addict, I love to listen to music almost all day long; I like watching movies; playing video games; hanging out with the other dudes at places like the mall, Starbucks and so on; I like to watch sports on TV; exercise; play ping pong; and many other things a normal dude would do.

If you were not a priest, what do you think you would be?  I would have loved to be a Chef. I would have gone to school to pursue that career

How many brothers and sisters do you have? I have one older brother

What is your favorite TV program? The Simpsons

Who is your favorite singer or music group? Bob Marley

Do you ever get bored while studying to be a priest? No. Learning and academics is actually something I enjoy a lot since I needed it a lot, to the point that I now read for fun.

How is a seminary different than a regular school?   Not too different. All my life I attended public school, so the main difference, besides living with a lot of other dudes, would be daily mass and prayer. Other than that seminary is actually pretty awesome; we have a cinema lounge, ping pong table, we have our own little kitchen, a lot of free time, and the professors help you on an everyday basis.

How often do you see your family? Around every two months or so.

Can you really be happy as a priest since priests don’t make much money?   Money is not a big deal I guess. I mean I wouldn't want to be rich even if I wasn't in the seminary or if I wasn't going to be a priest. Too many belongings bring a lot of headaches.

Who helped you decide to become a priest? My brother was a big help, and Father Donald Miller O.F.M. was an influence as well.

What do you think the best thing will be about being a priest? You live a life totally committed to love and also to share that love with others, and by this means answering that call that we all have to holiness.