Two of Archbishop Riordan’s alumni – Jimmy Velasco ’17 and Aidan Murtagh ’20 – are currently studying at St. Patrick’s Seminary. Planned and founded by the second Archbishop of San Francisco, Archbishop William Patrick Riordan, the seminary has been around for 125 years serving those who want to take a next step in their faith journey.
Both Velasco and Murtagh, although in different stages at the seminary, have one thing in common: attending Riordan was a main contributor to their decision on becoming a spiritual leader in the eyes of the church.
Velasco, in his seventh year of studies, said that he had always felt a special connection to God. He studied for three years in Washington State before transferring to St. Patrick’s Seminary and University. As a student at Riordan, Velasco was an active member of campus ministry and said that for him, it was an inclination of wanting to be more involved with his faith.
“I think Riordan just supported me in my faith naturally, and supported me all the way through,” Velasco said.
The overall ambition to be a priest is what drives Velasco to continue on his journey. The connections he has made along the way and the examples he has been able to look upon continue to be symbols of support and motivation for him.
“Being around such model priests that have been good influences to me, has just been the biggest motivation for me that I want to do what they do,” claimed Velasco.
One of the most rewarding parts in his journey was having the opportunity to attend the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveling from San Francisco to Indianapolis with Jesus Christ and the Eucharist.
Velasco said, “That would not have ever happened had God not placed me on this path to be a priest.”
For Murtagh, he had many questions about his future and the goals he wanted to fulfill. With these questions he decided to attend church more often and felt peace in doing so. Realizing that sacramental life nourished him, he wanted to be able to provide that nourishment for others.
“It wasn’t until my senior year in college that I returned to daily prayer and sacramental life that priesthood seemed so appealing for me,” said Murtagh.
Through this daily prayer and reflection, Murtagh decided to apply for the seminary. His Riordan connection holds strong as being on the Liturgy, Core, and LIFE teams helped him to realize how much he enjoyed incorporating faith in his life.
“Being in campus ministry helped me realize that I really enjoyed talking about the Catholic faith and bringing other people into the faith community,” claimed Murtagh.
Reflecting on his life, he said that God’s generosity and the relationship he’s built with faith is the most rewarding part of this journey.
Retreats at Riordan have also been memorable for both Velasco and Murtagh.
“The retreats really helped me experience that – God loves everyone as they are,” Velasco said.
The openness and community that attending retreats has brought them are continued to be mirrored through their work in the seminary.
Now, as they return to Riordan with an entirely new purpose of coming to talk about faith, they remember their time at the school and get to share their experiences with students currently attending.
“I think students connect more knowing they are alumni,” said Danielle Jow, Religious Studies Department Chair.
“It shows us a glimpse of what it’s like to be a spiritual father and to have people look to us to be representatives of Jesus’ church,” mentioned Murtagh.
Both Velasco and Murtagh take immense pride in being representatives of Jesus’ church to the underclassmen at Riordan, being able to provide them with leadership through God’s teachings, and are excited to continue that in the future.
