An experience during World Youth Day at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2013 helped inspire Federico José Mariano to follow a call to the priesthood.
“I remember the words of Pope Francis shouting, ‘Do not be afraid,’ which echoes the inaugural speech of Saint John Paul II,” the native of Argentina said, adding that for him, those words meant not to be afraid to follow Christ instead of living a life just for himself, that Jesus “would provide and not leave me alone.”
On June 20, Deacon Mariano, who is now 33, will be one of five new priests ordained for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy during a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
The future priest grew up in a devout Catholic family in Argentina, one of seven children of Alejandro Mariano and Sandra Mosca. “Through them, I received faith,” Deacon Mariano said, adding that he and his siblings “are the fruit of the Lord’s work in their marriage,” reflected in their faith and openness to life.
Over the years, his father has worked as a nuclear physicist and as a researcher and teacher, and his mother, who was studying geophysics before their marriage, then devoted her life to raising her children before becoming a math teacher at a high school.
“She left her career to take care of us, to be a mother at home, to be present… (and) taking care of us with a lot of love,” he said, noting his mother’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she transmitted to her children.
The couple met while participating in the Neocatechumenal Way, a worldwide Catholic movement dedicated to adult and family faith formation, and the Way became a central part of their family’s life.
On Sunday mornings in addition to attending Mass together, the Mariano family spent time in morning prayer and reflecting on “the story of salvation, and what it had to do with our lives,” Deacon Mariano said.
At the age of 13, he entered into a Neocatechumenal Way faith community that included people of different ages, backgrounds and social status. “We were brought together in Christ,” he said, adding, “That was an important moment for me… Even though I received the faith from my parents, I had to start my own journey of faith.”
A key thing he learned from that experience, he said, is that “God love you as you are,” a message that resonated with me as he was “entering into the teenage years, struggling to fit in. I saw I could be real in my community. I could speak of the suffering and struggles I had and not be judged.”
Deacon Mariano said he experienced the love of Christ through that faith community, and “I learned a lot listening to others’ experiences,” which he said will help him as a priest.
In a reflection on his vocation, he wrote that even though he was following his plans to study and have a career, “I was not happy. I was empty, living a selfish life… Seeing missionary priests and participating in meetings, retreats, and pilgrimages opened my heart to the possibility of the priesthood, which was not at all in my plans. Maybe after all I was not condemned to live life just for myself. Little by little, this call grew in me.”
His World Youth Day experience when he was 20 marked a turning point in his life, and after a vocational meeting with youth from the Neocatechumenal Way, he expressed a willingness to go anywhere in the world as a missionary priest. Through a lottery, he was sent to the Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary of the Archdiocese of Washington, Located in Hyattsville, Maryland, it is one of 10 Redemptoris Mater seminaries in the United States affiliated with the Neocatechumenal Way.
Arriving in Washington, D.C., “the capital of the world,” from his small suburban neighborhood in Argentina “was a whole new thing for me, it was in adventure,” said Deacon Mariano, who added, “I saw that God was waiting for me here. I truly saw the love of God since the beginning.”
During his years as a seminarian, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, and he served at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Washington; St. Bernardine of Siena Parish in Suitland; St. Mary’s Parish in Rockville; and as a transitional deacon at Nativity Parish in Washington, where he said “people welcomed me with a lot of love.”
In getting to know and serve the people at Nativity Parish and in talking with them, he learned “I could be an instrument reminding them of the love of God, the love of Christ.”
At Nativity Parish, the pastor, Father Pawel Sass, was a friend and mentor to him. “I found in him a brother I could speak freely to,” Deacon Mariano said. “I saw him giving himself to the people entirely, and how the people in the parish, feeling (his) love, they also loved him and took a lot of care of him.”
Being from Argentina, with its national team being the defending World Cup champions, Deacon Mariano said it is wonderful that the tournament is coming to the United States, and he expects fans from his country to celebrate by marching in the streets with musical instruments and singing like World Youth Day pilgrims typically do.
“Soccer is in my veins,” said the future priest, who still likes playing “the beautiful game.” One thing he really appreciates about the sport, he said, is “you can truly be yourself on the field.”
After his ordination as a priest, he said he hopes to be able to share God’s mercy with “those I will encounter.” Reflecting on starting that new life, Deacon Mariano said he looks forward to the freedom to give his life totally to Christ and the people he will serve, “that I may be an instrument so people may find the love of God in their life.”
Father Federico José Mariano will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday June 21 at 10 a.m. at Nativity Catholic Church in Washington. On July 8, Father Mariano will begin serving as a parochial vicar at St. Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda, Maryland.
