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Fr. Daniel Hernández Flores (’ 22) never expected that attending a Theological seminar – which was a Theology Day presentation put on by Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary (SOT/Sem) – would help motivate him to continue pursuing truth and his vocation by enrolling at that very same institution for further study.
After the tragic loss of his sister, Daniel realized that he prayed more when his sister was sick than in his everyday life. Why was that? Upon this revelation after her death, he decided to seek answers. While searching at a Kerygma retreat in Tlaxcala, Mexico, he found himself blessed when sharing his grief and pain and asking questions about the faith with lay people like himself. He and God were growing closer, and that’s when God put a calling in his heart to join the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (the Crosier Fathers and Brothers) in Onamia, MN, and, shortly after, enroll at the SOT/Sem where he experienced the sound theological education and Benedictine hospitality of the SOT/Sem and was thoroughly touched. The listening, the Benedictine community, and the practice of being Crosier were transformational.
Fr. Daniel now serves his community as Novice Director and Associate Vocation Director for the Crosiers’ Conventual Priory of the Holy Cross in Phoenix, AZ. He shares his gifts and the sense of community/hospitality he experienced at the SOT/Sem to help those discerning God’s calling of religious life. “I must pay attention – listening and praying – to aid them in their discernment of whether God is calling upon them to live the vowed religious life. It is a period of self-reflection and intense study. From a deacon to priest, I’ve been accompanying many lay Latino men and women through their spiritual journey and using my honed gifts to help them discover their own. All of this has been possible through the knowledge and skills learned through the spiritual Direction certificate offered by the SOT/Sem.”
Fr. Daniel Hernández Flores provides incredible hospitality while aiding others in discerning God’s call in their lives and building relationships with Christ.
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