Passion for the faith
NTC/Juan Guajardo
HE IS: Friar José Feliciano Torres-Castro, OFM Cap., pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Fort Worth.
CALLED TO A LIFE OF BEAUTY: Friar Torres-Castro was introduced to the Capuchin order by his aunt, who entered a Capuchin monastery at 15.
"When I arrived there and saw they lived a beautiful life, I said, ‘I want to live a beautiful life too.’ In other words, a life where one is happy, where there is respect, where there is love — I loved that,” the 50-year-old friar said.
Friar Torres-Castro professed his temporary vows in August 1997 and his solemn perpetual vows to poverty, chastity, and obedience in September 2000.
ORDAINED: February 4, 2006, at Our Lady of the Nativity Church in Oaxaca, Mexico.
TO BE CAPUCHIN: “To live a life of fraternity is to live as men of prayer and of service; to give back to the community; and to always be in solidarity with the poor.”
FOUR FUNDAMENTALS: Growing up, Friar Torres-Castro learned four fundamentals to achieve a healthy balance in life.
First, responsibility. “It’s very important, and you learn this at home.”
Second, joy. “We need to always strive for happiness.”
Third, gratitude. “Thanks, first to God, our families, then to others.”
Fourth, passion. “Whatever I do, I always do with passion.”
BALANCED LIFE: “Life is everything, but one has to know how to balance because if not, in the end, one will self-destruct. I mean, if one eats too much, one gets sick. If one prays too much, one gets sick. If one works too much, one gets sick, so finding a balance is key.”
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: “I always believe that tomorrow everything will be better.” The friar believes this is possible with God’s guidance, one’s personal faith, and reliance on community and fraternity. “We can’t do it alone.”
HOBBIES: Listening to music, working on art projects, and eating.
“Some eggs with beans, a tortilla, a quesadilla, a hamburger — they give me physical, psychological, and spiritual strength. So I love to eat, but what I like the most is to invite others to eat with me.”
FAVORITE SACRAMENT: “The Eucharist,” the friar enthused. “The Word of God is food, it is the same as nourishment — one who loves to eat knows, too, how to feed himself spiritually. First, with the Word, and, secondly, with the Body and the Blood. That is what gives us strength, courage to continue living.”
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE: Born and raised in the Northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, Friar Torres-Castro works to improve his English. At times it is difficult, but he waves off frustration, trusting in his belief that, in the end, “the universal language is love and respect and fraternity.”
PARISH HOME: Friar Torres-Castro has served at Our Lady of Guadalupe about eight years.
For the Mexican Catholic, he said, some very treasured symbols and traditions of the faith include holy water, Cristo Rey, praying the Rosary and novenas, asking for the saints’ intercession, and pilgrimages. The friar works to incorporate these popular religious practices and symbols to help the congregation grow.
FUTURE GOALS: Friar Torres-Castro hopes to aid his parish in evangelization by collaboration within the parish as well as extending into the diocese.
“When we understand that we can complement each other, that they complement us, and we them, then we will be able to make a beautiful Church. This is our task, and there is a beautiful term for this that I love that the Pope uses today — a collaborative Church.”