PRIESTS
FATHER JOSÉ LUCERO, S.D.B. keeps up by smartphone with the many young people he ministers to.
PAULA DOYLE
The smiling priest by Paula Doyle
Paula Doyle is a staff writer for The Tidings, the weekly newspaper for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Her articles have also been published by Catholic News Service and the Catholic Legislative Network, an online project of the bishops’ California Catholic Conference.
Father José Lucero’s vocation story and ministry demonstrate his belief that “being a priest or a religious . . . is actually the beginning of an amazing life, allowing you to bring all your gifts to the table.”
L
IKE THE YOUNG PEOPLE HE SERVES, Salesian Father José Lucero, S.D.B. is often on his smart phone, sending encouraging words to his closest friends on social media sites. Nicknamed “the smiling priest,” he said God gave him an abundance of love to share—and he shares it with good humor in both the “real” world and the virtual world of cyberspace. Lucero was drawn to the priesthood as a child of 7, playacting the part for his 12 siblings while they were growing up in the small town of Torreon near Albuquerque, New Mexico. When he was older, he became a leader in the parish youth group, following in the footsteps of his older brothers and sisters. Attending public high school, the gregarious, guitar-playing teen was so-
98 | VISION 2015 | VocationNetwork.org
