Father Santiago Izquierdo ’14
Father Santiago Izquierdo ’14 was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Lincoln on Saturday, May 25, 2024.
Father Izquierdo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and immigrated to the United States in 2002 with his family. They eventually settled in Lincoln, where he attended St. Peter School and Pius X High School.
“Going to Mass and receiving the Holy Eucharist daily was a tremendous blessing in my life,” he recalled, noting the impact of Catholic education on his vocation journey. “I always enjoyed being an altar server, and helping the priest during Mass helped form a deeper appreciation of the priesthood.”
Izquierdo’s journey to the priesthood was significantly influenced by his brother’s time in the seminary.
“During those visits, I was able to see what the seminary was like, and I truly felt that one day this could be a place where I could be and feel comfortable,” he shared.
Although his brother ultimately discerned that God was not calling him to be a priest, Izquierdo learned valuable lessons. “His experience taught me that if I ever entered the seminary, the time in formation would be valuable to my growth and maturity.”
After high school, Izquierdo attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) for two years as a chemistry major. During his sophomore year, he felt God’s call to actively discern the priesthood and applied to enter the seminary in the summer of 2016.
Izquierdo looked back on his eight years in the seminary as a time of profound formation. “These past eight years have not always been easy, but through the grace of God, seminary was the place for me to be formed, grow, and find healing,” he said.
Izquierdo looks forward to serving in the Diocese of Lincoln.
“Administering the sacraments will be one of the sources of strength that will help me to persevere,” he said, expressing his commitment to bringing the sacraments and the love of Christ to the people. “I look forward with great anticipation to being back in my home diocese and serving the lay faithful in a wide variety of ways – the most important of which is being the instrument that Christ uses to bring the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, Penance, and Baptism, to the people.”
The Southern Nebraska Register, Shelby Siefgried
