Among those who will be at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on June 20 to witness and celebrate as Deacon David Ezequiel Narváez Vargas is one of five men ordained as a priest for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, will be the future priest’s parents and several of his siblings.
His parents, he said, deserve much credit for his priestly vocation.
A native of Ecuador, Deacon Narváez, 35, said that his vocation was “nurtured within the ‘domestic Church’ of my family home, where my parents provided the initial foundation of my faith.”
One of 10 children born to Ezequiel Narváez and Faviola Vargas – eight of whom are living – the future priest has three brothers and four sisters. When he was younger, two of his brothers attended seminary. One of them – Father Gabriel Martin Narváez – was eventually ordained a priest and currently serves in Medellín, Colombia.
“At vacation time they (his brothers in the seminary) would come back with a different spirit, and it sparked in me a thought that this (a priestly ministry) is a different life,” Deacon Narváez said.
It was after joining the Neocatechumenal Way, Deacon Narváez said, that his vocation was further developed.
The Neocatechumenal Way, founded in 1964, is a Catholic movement dedicated to adult and family faith formation. An estimated 1.5 million Catholics belong to the Way in about 40,000 parish-based groups in more than 130 nations around the world.
The Neocatechumenal Way, frequently referred to as the Way, has also established more than 120 Redemptoris Mater diocesan mission seminaries around the world, including one in Hyattsville, Maryland, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Deacon Narváez said his participation in the Way “matured my relationship with Christ.”
He had what he called “a profound encounter with God’s love through the preaching of my lay catechists, who first opened my heart to the Gospel.” With the Way, Deacon Narváez attended World Youth Days in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, Krakow, Poland in 2016 and Panama City, Panama in 2019.
It was in Rio de Janeiro that he had what he said is “a definitive call to the missionary priesthood.”
“When the invitation was extended for those willing to go anywhere in the world for the New Evangelization, I stood up in total availability,” he said. “This act of faith led me to the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Washington, D.C., where I have since been formed to serve Christ in any mission the Church requires.”
“I never expected to become a priest in Washington, D.C., but the Lord has provided during all this time” of preparation,” Deacon Narváez said. “The language and culture may be different, but the faith is the same faith.”
“I’m happy that I’ve discovered so many different cultures here, but sadly I’ve discovered that everyone suffers the same,” he added. “Everyone needs God and I’m happy to bring Him to them.”
Deacon Narváez said he is “nervous and excited” about his upcoming ordination. As a priest, he says he looks forward to offering the sacrament of Confession.
“The best part (of being a priest) will be forgiveness of sins and how I will be able to participate in this action of God,” he said. “I want to bring God’s forgiveness to people even when they sometimes do not forgive themselves.”
He also realizes “being with people at their most difficult moments is part of the reality of being a priest.”
“It’s going to be a full life preaching to the people and speaking to the people,” Deacon Narváez said. “How do I give myself fully to the people is a challenge that I know I can do with the grace of God. I cannot disregard the grace of God.”
In preparing for the priesthood, Deacon Narváez said he enjoyed his pastoral year serving in this archdiocese as well as in New York and Connecticut. “I enjoy catechizing,” he said.
Among his favorite saints is St. Maria Goretti who was martyred in 1902 at the age of 11 fighting off a predator who stabbed her 14 times. On her deathbed, Maria forgave her attacker and prayed he would join her in heaven. She was canonized in 1950 as one of the youngest persons ever to be declared a saint.
“I love her,” Deacon Narváez said of the young martyr saint. “I love how she defended her vocation. I always ask her to help me defend my vocation.”
Father Narváez will celebrate his first Mass as a priest on Sunday, June 21 at noon at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Southeast Washington. On July 8, he will begin serving as a parochial vicar at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Derwood, Maryland.
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