Rogationist Father Ryan Jimenez now ministering in the diocese

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Father Ryan T. Jimenez, RCJ

The Rogationist Fathers of the Heart of Jesus is a religious order of priests and brothers that was founded in Italy by St. Hannibal Di Francia on May 16, 1897. “Rogationist” comes from the Latin word “rogate,” which means “pray.”

Since their founding, the order has spread from Italy to the United States, Europe, South America, Mexico, India and the Philippines, among other countries.

“We find the deepest desire of the Heart of Jesus for the salvation of humankind in the words: ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to gather in his harvest’” (Mt. 9: 37-38), states the order’s website, https://rogationists.org/.

“The Rogationist Fathers of the Heart of Jesus are a Catholic order dedicated to continuing the works of our founder St. Hannibal. We pray and nurture vocations to the priesthood and religious life. We work to spread greater awareness for all vocations in the Church. We assist children and youth, especially those who are orphans and in need. We evangelize the poor and the underprivileged,” the website adds.

SALT LAKE CITY — Father Ryan Jimenez, RCJ, one of the two Rogationist priests who recently arrived from the Philippines to serve in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, first felt a call to the vocation of the priesthood when he was 14 years old, he said. One day while at Mass with his mother, he was captivated by the priest and wanted to follow in his footsteps, “but when I told my mother ‘Mom, I want to become a priest,’ she told me ‘No, because you are poor.’”

Attending the seminary in the Philippines costs thousands of dollars, he said.

He put the idea aside until a priest visited his high school and gave a talk about vocations, specifically about the priesthood, Fr. Jimenez said, and “talking to my friends, I saw that I had the determination for it.”

He and his friends went to an orientation at the seminary and after five days they decided to join, he said. 

Although he didn’t have the money to pay for his education, “God sent many people as my benefactors, as my sponsors, to help me to enter the seminary,” he said, adding he has seen God help him in his priestly vocation.

In 2008 he professed the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, but before being ordained in 2015, Fr. Jimenez was required by his order to be a religious missionary. His ordination was a continuation and deepening of his religious vocation, he said.

His nine years of priesthood “has been basically following our Lord and being a servant for the flock,” he said.

In the Philippines being a priest is a privilege, he said. “People treat you like kings; I have to fight this kind of mentality because people should not give us any special treatment. I have to follow Jesus and I am here to serve, not to be served.”

Although being a priest takes a lot of determination and the ministry has special requirements, Fr. Jimenez said that he is really happy and excited about this path that God has put him on.

 The invitation to come to Utah came through a priest friend, a former Rogationist who now ministers as a diocesan priest in the Diocese of Chicago and who knows Bishop Oscar A. Solis. The friend, Fr. Noel Reyes, also has a good relationship with Fr. Jimenez’s provincial superior, so “in a discussion it was mentioned that there was an opportunity for us, the Rogationists, to serve the community in Utah,” Fr. Jimenez said.

Bishop Solis and the provincial superior had a conversation, and “we were asked if we were available, and here we are,” said Fr. Jimenez, who came to Utah with Fr. Carlos Guzman, RCJ.

 This is his first visit to the United States, and Utah’s weather has shocked him, he said. “But it is not really that new,” he said, because for the last four years he was a missionary in Vietnam, “and there was a place in the mountain area that the weather was almost the same as what I have been experiencing now. So even though I don’t like the cold that much, I have experienced it before.”

However, he has had a new experience in Utah. He enjoys basketball, and “I feel so blessed because last week I was able to watch a game – a live game  – for the first time, in the Delta Center,” he said with a huge smile in his face.

For the next few months, as they go through orientation, both Fr. Jimenez and Fr. Guzman will serve as parochial vicars at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. 

 “We are always praying for vocations. I have realized that in Utah this is one of the things that I want to contribute the most, to pray for more vocations and hopefully more young men would like to embrace the vocation to the priesthood,” Fr. Jimenez said, adding that in Utah, “the vineyard is great but the workers are few.”