From outside it looks like a typical two-story home. In fact, it is a spiritual haven where young adult men are preparing for priestly ministry.

The residents of Juan Diego House of Formation in Gardena, whose ages range between 19 and 34, are regular college students who are in the process of making the most important decision of their lives.

Juan Diego House, operated through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Office for Vocations, is a place where young men aspiring to become diocesan priests live for four years, a period dedicated to reflection, meditation and evaluation.

"These men, like everyone else, are subject to the pressures of society, and this is a place where they can discern if it's God really calling them, or if it's their own mind," said Father James Anguiano, who succeeded Father Bob Juarez as director in 2008.

In a time when vocations are declining, a combination of pastoral and spiritual formation with academic and family life is appealing for the young adults. It is the perfect mix for young men to explore and reflect on their future life.

"They might grow in one area, but lack something in another, so once they live in a restricted environment they will look for the call of God in their lives," said Father Anguiano, a former high school principal and college teacher who was ordained in 1982. "During this period, several pre-seminarians have realized they do not have that call --- but very few."

Weekly routine
From Monday through Friday the aspiring priests combine their academic duties with a spiritual, catechetical and liturgical life designed to nurture personal growth and a greater appreciation of the church life dedicated to the service of others.

The men's routine includes daily Mass in the house's chapel, morning and evening prayer, weekly Eucharistic adoration, and house chores. During the day, they attend college --- Loyola Marymount University, El Camino College, California State Dominguez Hills, USC or UCLA. Tuition and books are covered through federal and state scholarships and grants, and a small percentage by the archdiocese.

The archdiocesan Program of Priestly Formation requires that they complete a 30-unit philosophy course as well as 12 units of undergraduate theology. In addition to the bachelor's degree earned in college, the pre-seminarians complete 18 semester hours of instruction at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo.

Some students also take English as a Second Language to improve their English-language skills. Most of them are of Hispanic descent, and recently three students arrived from Vietnam.

During the weekend, students return to their parishes and their families to practice what they have learned and shared in the house and in their classrooms. This time also provides an opportunity to evaluate their vocation. On a monthly basis, each student meets with an assigned spiritual director who assists in their emotional and spiritual discernment.

Decision process
At three or four years old, Juan Ochoa knew he wanted to become a priest. That desire diminished during his teenage years --- "In junior high I decided I wanted to go to medical school, marry and have my own family" --- but resurfaced during his high school senior year when the St. Stephen of Hungary parishioner (Los Angeles) was getting ready to decide what to do with his life.

Ochoa, the only boy of three children, said that when he told his parents he wanted to be a priest, his mother (now deceased) always supported him but his father would not concur, until a few days before he died.

Now 23, Ochoa will leave Juan Diego House in June after earning a dual bachelor's degree on philosophy and political science. He will then start his formation at St. John Seminary.

VanCamp Iakopo, at 19 Juan Diego House's youngest resident, has a similar story. As a child he wanted to become a priest, but when he entered junior high his interests changed, although he attended a Catholic school.

"I fell off," he told The Tidings.

But after high school his communication with his parents improved, and that helped him reaffirm his faith and decide for the priesthood.

He definitely finds great comfort and relief when the older seminarians share their experiences with him, answering his questions and doubts.

"I bombard them with questions and find support in their discernment," said Iakopo, a parishioner of St. Cornelius Church in Long Beach and an El Camino College freshman.

Enrique Alonso, 26, was not sure about his call, but through a discernment process he felt in his heart that his love for the church and the people was stronger than anything else in his life. Now in his second year at Juan Diego House, he is a junior at Cal State Dominguez Hills, majoring in philosophy and psychology.

Every weekend he goes back to his parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Rowland Heights, to "reaffirm" his calling.

"I am learning more about faith and I value more and appreciate more our Catholic faith," he said. "I'm learning to have more heart knowledge than head knowledge, and I enjoy being single. Priests have a larger family."

For further information about the Juan Diego House of Formation, call (310) 516-6671 or go to www.juandiegohouse.org. For vocations information, contact the Office for Vocations, (213) 637-7248 or www.archdiocese.la/ministry/vocations/index.php.