April 2007 - Father Ricardo Villarreal

At 3:30 in the morning on December 8, the day of "Las Ma'anitas" at St. Joseph Church in Sunnyside, Washington, Father Ricardo Villarreal shepherds the faithful into the gymnasium - and before long, the number swells to 1,500 people . . . .

"Tradition has it that Juan Diego went to receive his sign from Our Lady of Guadalupe in the early morning," Father Ricardo explains. "Our Lady always leads people to her Son."

Families celebrated Mass, then came and went all day long, venerating the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, praying the Rosary, singing traditional hymns from Mexico and dancing Aztec dances hundreds of years old that recalled the miraculous visitation of Our Lady of Guadalupe. People prayed together, then swapped stories over coffee, chocolate and sweet breads that Father Villarreal calls "delightful."

Through and above Hidden Hero priest Father Ricardo's devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe shines his love for Our Lord in the Eucharist. It's a love shared by his parishioners, who identify themselves by their passion for Christ, especially in the Eucharist. There are 7 Mass celebrations on weekends, 2 in English and 5 in Spanish.

In the mission's small adoration chapel, Father Ricardo observes one devout man who arrives every day at 4:00 a.m. and stays for a few hours in the company of Jesus Christ. As Pope John Paul II said, "The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship . . . .Jesus awaits us in the sacrament of love . . . . let our adoration never cease."

Father Ricardo felt God's call early in his life. "I began serving Mass for Jesuit priests when I was 7 years old," he said. "I thought of becoming a priest in the 8th grade, and I remember my grandmother had a great love of Our Lady, and she encouraged me to pray to Her."

Adopted into a loving family at the age of six months, Father Ricardo Villarreal grew up speaking Spanish in the heart of a vibrant, Catholic Latino community. He was around eight years old when a heart attack forced his father out of work. When his father died tragically in a house fire the year after Ricardo graduated from high school, the young man put aside his own vocation for two years to help his mother rebuild her home.

Considered "one of the most respected and well-liked seminarians" by his diocese, Ricardo depended on funds from Catholic Extension to complete his training. He spent eight weeks each summer serving workers in the orchards around Yakima.

Ordained in 1998, this 38-year-old missionary draws on experience from his own life to pastor a vast, Hispanic population scattered amidst the Yakima Valley of Washington.

Father's mission is growing. He has around 30 baptisms a month, and there are nearly 600 students in religious education classes. He is grateful to receive a grant from Catholic Extension to assist in his outreach to Hispanics as the Faith is passed on to a younger generation. "People work hard and pray hard," Father Ricardo says. "You'll see them working 14 hours a day to put food on their family's table. I am blessed to be among them."

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