By Constanza Morales
Revista Católica Dallas
Growing up in a missionary family prepared Father David Piquer’s heart so he would confidently decide during his adolescence that he wanted to follow God.
Originally from Castellón de la Plana, Spain, Father Piquer is the eldest of nine siblings and was raised within the Neocatechumenal Way. Since he was 3 years old, he and his family traveled on missions to disadvantaged communities in Peru, Russia, and Argentina.
The experience gave Father Piquer a taste of being a missionary and taught him how to bring the Good News to the marginalized and suffering.
“That was something that left a mark on David,” Paloma Piquer, one of his sisters, said. “Little by little he began to see how to have mercy and to listen to God.”
The call to priesthood was also something that grew on him little by little, but it ignited just after he had started medical school while living in Argentina with his family.
That is when Father Piquer decided to “leave his life in God’s hands.”
God’s mysterious ways
“I felt completely dissatisfied,” Father Piquer recalled. “I thought that following my dreams would make me happy, but on the contrary, I felt even more dissatisfied.”
At 17, during a catechetical event with nearly 400 young people in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he felt a deep sense of conviction that he was called to follow God.
“Listening to the catechist’s words, which at the same time answered the questions I had in my head, I thought that maybe if I left my life in God’s hands, He could make me happy,” he said when recalling what happened on July 9, 2012.
“So I thought, ‘Well, I have everything I dreamed of, a girlfriend might come later, but I’m not happy. God, I’ll give you a chance, but don’t make me a priest.’”
Certainly, the Lord works in mysterious ways.
On May 24, Father Piquer was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Dallas, alongside Father Bryce Baumann, Father Allen-Michael Muench, and Father Peter Whitfield, during a ceremony at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.
Bishop Edward J. Burns assigned Father Piquer to serve as parochial vicar at San Juan Diego Catholic Church.
“Seeing David ordained a priest is a miracle,” Paloma said. “Becoming a priest these days is not something everyone can achieve, and the fact that he will be the bearer of the Word of God and, in the future, the pastor of a church fills us with joy.”
The new priest, 33, said that following Jesus confirmed his true calling and gave him the satisfaction in life he previously lacked.
“All the things the Lord has done for me through my Neocatechumenal Community in Dallas, my mentors, brother priests, and seminarians, have far exceeded my dreams,” he said. “Today, I can say that I have a joy that I never had when I pursued my dreams.”
Seeing him bring the joy of God’s love to those he has been called to serve is one of the expectations that Father Alan McDonald, vice rector of Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Dallas, has for Father Piquer.
“David has grown in his faith, his zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel, and his love for the Church during these years in the seminary,” Father McDonald, who has known the new priest for 12 years, said.
“His faith and love for the Lord are reflected in how he has learned to serve others in the seminary and also in his work with the catechist team helping others grow in their faith,” he added.
Father Piquer joined a Neocatechumenal Way community at the age of 13 in his native country of Spain, and upon arriving in Dallas more than a decade ago, he joined one of the communities at his parish, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Grand Prairie.
“He fought for his vocation, and we, as his community, have seen how amid his doubts God’s love always rescued him; and we always prayed for him so that God would protect that vocation,” María Gámez, who is part of the First Neocatechumenal Community at Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish, said.
While studying at Redemptoris Mater, Father Piquer continued to stay connected to the Neocatechumenal Way by celebrating the Eucharist on Saturdays, a monthly community prayer and various liturgies of the word.
“I’m excited to see him as a priest,” Bryan Cepak, one of the leaders of the community to which Father Piquer belongs at his parish, said. “I’ve seen his struggles, his concerns, and worries, and it will be wonderful to see him carry his ministry to the people of the Diocese of Dallas.”
As he begins his priestly ministry, Father Piquer is confident that, just as during his pastoral year at San Juan Diego Catholic Parish in Dallas, he will continue to grow in relationship with the community he serves.
“I have learned a lot of new things I thought I knew about different Latin American cultures,” he said. “I have realized that God goes beyond culture.”
Though he felt some nerves as the long-awaited day arrived, Father Piquer said his confidence remains unshakable.
“I have no doubt that God will accompany and protect me throughout my life as a priest,” he said.
Violeta Rocha, a freelance writer of Revista Católica Dallas, contributed to this story.
Cutline for featured image: Father David Piquer, right, blesses a child as he distributes communion during a Mass for his ordination celebrated by Bishop Edward J. Burns at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church on May 24. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
