Introducing Fr. Juan Pablo Orozco

I was raised in a very catholic, and active in the Charismatic Renewal, family. From my earliest years I was taught how to pray, and to love Jesus, and Mary.

I had a really blessed childhood I was a very happy child. I had the perfect dad, and the most loving mom I could ever ask for. In Mexico the extended family was always together, the cousins, uncles, all, would come together on Saturdays or Sundays for family time. However, as I young boy I was not aware of the economic struggles my parents were going through, and when the news of our family moving to the U.S. came out, I was not very happy. It was as if God had purposely decided to take me away from my beloved family, friends and school in order to throw me into a place I didn’t want to go, a place completely foreign to me (foreign culture, foreign language).

I was around 12 when I arrived to Conroe, Texas, USA. It took me some years to adapt to the new lifestyle that came to my life. I was never really happy until I had my first encounter with the Lord, who opened my eyes at the age of 16 and led me into understanding my life better. I began healing and growing as a person. It was at this age that I had my first retreat. However, I never joined a community to grow in Christ, and consequently my faith was cooled down. When I started going to college a greater temptation came to my life I slowly fell into it. I began a life of college partying, and even doubting everything I had once believed. However, I discovered that I was feeling really empty inside and that nothing could fill me up.

One day at a powerful charismatic prayer meeting at my parish I was healed from various diseases, sport injuries, and also from depression. After I decided to give my life to Jesus, I told him I wanted to be his disciple and gave him full permission to do what he pleases in me. It was incredible. I literally felt a warm hand touch my back during the prayer, and so I turned around to see if there was anyone behind me and when I discovered that there wasn’t anyone there I collapsed on my knees and cried out to the Lord, knowing it was Him who was touching me.

Since then I decided to get some formation and started serving. The Lord has been really merciful to me allowing me to serve in many different ministries: leading worship, participating in healing prayers as the lead and also as intercessor, helping in many retreats, preaching, helping out at youth events, writing songs for the church, and I have gotten the opportunity to play at concerts different times, which I am forever thankful for. Praise God that people would allow a person like me to lead such a things!

During my formation and other retreats I met Fr. Francis Frankovich in the Charismatic Center in Houston and was really happy to find such amazing priest! People had been telling me that I would be a great priest. After taking a vocational retreat I spoke to Fr. Francis about seminary. I really felt that I needed to experience seminary, that I wasn’t going to figure out God’s will just staying where I was.

I have always been about evangelizing after I was evangelized myself, and I really like the work of the Companions of the Cross with the New Evangelization. I would like to do this type of ministry for the rest of my life. I want to love and serve the Church, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, and help others have an encounter with the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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