Teen’s Prayers Led Her to Attend the Ordination of Father Christian Galvan
May 22, 2023 | For two years, Kaitlyn had been praying for Father Christian Galvan, even though she had never met him. It all started when a Youth Ministry leader at Espiritu Santo Parish in Safety Harbor, handed Kaitlyn a notepaper with the name Christian Galvan on it. Kaitlyn was asked to keep him in prayer because he was hoping to become a priest one day. Kaitlyn honored that request and prayed for him since that day. She was amazed to find out on Instagram that Christian would be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, May 20th at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle and she convinced her dad to take her to the ordination.
May 22, 2023 | For two years, Kaitlyn had been praying for Father Christian Galvan, even though she had never met him. It all started when a Youth Ministry leader at Espiritu Santo Parish in Safety Harbor, handed Kaitlyn a notepaper with the name Christian Galvan on it. Kaitlyn was asked to keep him in prayer because he was hoping to become a priest one day. Kaitlyn honored that request and prayed for him since that day. She was amazed to find out on Instagram that Christian would be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, May 20th at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle and she convinced her dad to take her to the ordination.
“I said, Dad, we have to go to this because I have been praying for this guy and I've never met him, and he doesn't even know who I am,” 17-year-old Kaitlyn explained.
This was Kaitlyn’s first time attending an ordination and the experience brought her closer to God. She feels like her prayers made a difference.
“That was something I found so special, being a part of his journey. It was such a blessing to see God work through other people, even if you don't know them directly,” said Kaitlyn.
Over the past year when she faced difficulties, her prayer for Father Christian strengthened her own faith life.
“I had a moment where I just didn't know what I was doing. I was so just caught up with school and just battling with faith. I would always look at that note and say, ‘there's always one person you can pray for, even if you don't have the motivation, or you don't have the energy to even pray to God for yourself. That little reminder, every day, was just something that I could give to somebody else. And now being here, it's just beautiful. There are no words really,” said Kaitlyn, who is going to be a high school senior this fall.
Her prayer for Father Christian, who had worked as an engineer and earned an MBA before entering seminary, was that God’s will be done in his life.
She also prayed that Father Christian’s ministry would bring healing to people who need Christ’s love and mercy.
“One thing I did pray for was that he would be able to help heal the souls of those individuals that may be hurting or longing for love. I think that's prevalent within my generation, teens facing depression and just not having a purpose in life,” said Kaitlyn.
After the Ordination Mass, Kaitlyn and her father, Chris, waited in line for nearly 90 minutes so that Kaitlyn could finally meet Father Christian, and receive a blessing from him.
Will you join Kaitlyn in praying for young men discerning the priesthood?
It normally takes nine years between the time a man first enters college seminary and the day of ordination. For the next few years, the Diocese of St. Petersburg has no candidates scheduled to be ordained. The faithful are encouraged to pray for young men to answer God’s call for their lives and that God’s will may be done. The faithful are also asked to pray for those being called to religious life as a sister, brother or priest.
