Utah State Knights of Columbus 2021Family of the Year: the Castillos

Courtesy photo/Utah Knights of Columbus

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The family of Laura and Rafael Castillo is the Utah Knights of Columbus 2021 Family of the Year.

KEARNS – God has been good to Rafael and Laura Castillo and their family, and the only way they know to show their gratitude is to serve their neighbors and their community, they say. In recognition of all they do, the Castillos have been named the Family of the Year by the Utah Knights of Columbus.

Rafael Castillo has found great joy in the service he has been able to provide both within and outside the Knights organization, he said.

“I wanted to do something for the Jesus Christ that is around me – that is, my neighbors,” he said. “Those human beings, every single person – that is Jesus Christ. That is the only way I can pay back what I have gotten from the Lord; that is the main reason I do this.”

Immigrants from Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico, the Castillos have made a good life for their four children and family since they arrived in the United States in 1992. Although they faced hardship when they came to Utah in 1995, they received a lot of help while they got on their feet. Rafael and Laura Castillo have never forgotten this help, and have been determined to pay it back.

One way they do that is by being involved with the Knights of Columbus; Rafael Castillo has been a member of the Catholic fraternal service organization since 2012. When he was first invited to participate, he told the Knights he was too busy, he said. At the time he was a long-haul truck driver and was only home on the weekends. He also thought that the Knights was an organization for older men, he said. Eventually, he changed his mind and joined Bishop Hunt Council 5214 in Kearns.

“I found the time; there is time for everything,” he said. “Somehow the time comes on the door.”

The Castillos, members of St. Francis Xavier Parish, prepare twice-monthly breakfasts that are served to members of their parish after Mass. Their adult children often help with the preparation. The funds raised through the breakfasts are put toward mortgage payments for St. Francis Xavier Catholic School’s addition.

Since parishioners have been able to attend church again, the Castillos have coordinated the ushers and lectors along with sanitization efforts for all Spanish Masses. They also serve as Hispanic coordinators for the parishes of St. Francis Xavier, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sacred Heart.

Rafael Castillo has been heavily involved in leadership in the Knights of Columbus at local and state levels. The couple manages their parish’s Food Baskets for the Needy program, which last year helped 75 families at Thanksgiving and 60 families during the Christmas season. They also participate in the annual Coats for Kids drive.

The Castillos also serve their community in other ways. For several years, their family regularly provided hot food, which they cooked themselves, for 100 to 150 homeless individuals in Salt Lake City. Their Knights of Columbus council and others helped fund the effort, but a significant portion of the money came out of the Castillos’ own pocket. They also provided Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner to Alcoholics Anonymous groups. They had to suspend these programs due to the pandemic but hope to resume their efforts in September.

Rafael Castillo is a certified lay ecclesial minister and is contemplating becoming a deacon. If he does, his family will be behind him every step of the way, he said.

“It’s an amazing feeling I get when I serve,” he said. “Every time I do something – working on my parish, learning something new, helping somebody – every time I do something, for some reason I feel happy, I feel different, I see a reason to keep doing that.”

Rafael said he and his family are honored by the award. However, “I’m just the person in front of the line; behind me are many, many people,” he said. “If they’re not there with me, it doesn’t happen, these programs. They should nominate the rest of people behind me.”