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Name: Leonard Marrujo
Date of birth: January 20, 1964
Hobbies and interest: art, photography, hiking, camping, cooking
Favorite saints: St. Jude
I was born January 20, 1960 in Alameda California to Angela and Carlos Marrujo. I have one sister who is ten years my senior, an older brother who passed away, and three younger brothers; two of whom are married with their own families. Both of my parent’s families are multi generation Californian and at least five generations living in the San Francisco bay area.
My Father was with the Navy department for thirty-five years. He taught us the values of loyalty, fairness and integrity. It is from this upbringing and attending Catholic school that has greatly influenced my brothers and sister with a sense of family, God and country. My mother’s influence was subtle. She instilled in us a sense of kindness, understanding and compassion. Together my parents were great teachers and roll models.
Though both parents were not church-goers, they none the less provided us with a religious upbringing, our culture and heritage. We were sent to Catholic school for our education and training where the Dominican Sisters and Franciscan Friars were my best examples of religious life. They were kind and compassionate and their passion for God and teaching were evident from the very beginning.
High school was a very awkward time for me. I suppose for a lot of other teenagers as well. Making friends at that time wasn’t the easiest. I was involved with football, soccer and baseball. All of which, I believe, I did poorly but I’m glad I was involved with them. I have a passion for art and history and I love hiking trips up to the Sierra Nevada mountains. I enjoy many hobbies including art and photography. Camping is another passion I have and I love cooking for friends.
After graduating from college, I worked many different jobs; I worked as a baker, computer assistant, legal assistant, graphic designer, and until recently technical illustrator with Sun Micro Systems. It amazes me that one can get paid very well for sitting around designing and drawing all day behind a computer screen.
When my father passed away at age fifty eight, I blamed God and was angry for a very long time; anger that translated into not attending Mass. Losing faith in God, I didn’t care anymore. This was a very difficult period in my life. Lost of a parent at a young age effected me greatly. I felt alone for the first time in my life. It took me several years before I could say to myself that God needed him more than my family or I. It was around this time I seriously began reviewing various religious communities and what their traditions were. I met with the Capuchin friars. They were a wonderful group of men, but I knew then that I was not ready for this type of commitment. I continued to explore the world and drink up as much as I could.
After another decade of working and enjoying life, something unexpected happened; my eldest brother passed away. I felt for the first time I was getting older and that life is finite. You never think of this sort of thing when you’re young. Suddenly my brother was gone. But unlike my father’s passing, his passing didn’t bring into question my faith. But it certainly did have an effect. That’s when I started thinking about the priesthood and what my mission in life was. I have always loved the life style of the parish priest, especially the Friars that have influenced my life such as Fr. Oliver, Fr Emmanuel, Fr. Giles and the list goes on and on. What these men represented to me was not that they were different, but how much the same they were. They were just like me except they lived their lives for God and his people. I feel compelled to follow in their foot step and in the foot steps of the Lord. I want to serve God in the most humble way I know.
I am not the smartest person, I just want to serve God and Jesus Christ in the best way God wants of me. For more than twenty years I have ignored the call and have been selfish in my time and space. And after a very long discernment, and with lots of prayer, I now believe my job is to serve God, his church on earth and be a shepherd to His people as a priest.