Two diocesan seminarians to be ordained transitional deacons

Friday, Nov. 07, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY — Two diocesan seminarians are about to take one of their final steps toward ordination to the priesthood.

Jose Luis Gomez Diaz and Jaime Zuazo will be ordained as transitional deacons on Nov. 21 by Bishop Oscar A. Solis during a Mass in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, strengthening them with the Holy Spirit to serve the Church.

“This step toward the diaconate represents a deeply meaningful moment in my life,” said Gomez Diaz, adding that throughout his formation at Mount Angel Seminary, “I have confirmed the call that God has placed in my heart – to serve with joy and wholehearted dedication the Lord and his Church, becoming an instrument of his love for the salvation of souls.”

He recognizes that everything he has experienced in his formation, including the challenges and the joys, “has been part of God’s plan to shape my character and configure me more closely to Christ, the Eternal High Priest,” he said. “Each day, I strive to respond consciously and freely, always rooted in prayer and keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus crucified.”

Similarly, Zuazo said that, for him, the diaconate ordination will be “giving myself to the ecclesiastical ministry, serving the People of God in the diocese of Utah.”

Being a deacon will mean a “commitment to my ongoing obedience, and helping and deepening the spirit of prayer, and celebrating diligently the Liturgy of the Hours,” he added.

This upcoming ordination is not just a step, “It is a commitment to serve, to the obedience, the celibacy that is part of a priest’s life,” he added.

Both seminarians agreed that the prospect of the upcoming ordination makes them feel at peace and strengthens their commitment to the People of God in Utah.

“I feel deeply loved by God – grateful and moved,” Gomez Diaz said. “Looking back, I recognize his faithfulness in every stage of my journey, and know that he has always remained with me. The Lord is the one who has sustained and formed me with patience and tenderness.”

Zuazo said he feels at peace, adding that “I have been very present to the obligations and commitments that this means, but trusting in God’s grace and the prayers, and despite this being a long road filled with challenges and uncertainties, he has always given me the strength to keep on going and persevering.”

The two men began their seminary formation in 2019, but each took a different path there.

At a young age Zuazo became involved with the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish youth group and the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Hispanic ministry. He also become a certified lay ecclesial minister through the diocese’s four-year Emaus program. Then, at a Charismatic Renovation retreat in 2009, his vocation to the priesthood became evident, he said.

However, “My response [to the call] was a bit reserved,” he said. He graduated with honors from high school and earned two community college degrees, and in 2017 became involved with the diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry. He participated in the production, direction and filming of a video clip for a contest of the V Encuentro with the young adults of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish. He also led the parish group in different retreats and events. In addition, he guided reflections at different young adult retreats all over the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

Amid this service, the call to the priesthood became stronger, he said. When he shared this with his parents and eight siblings, they were surprised but supportive despite their worries, he said.

The application process to the seminary was long and challenging, but with patience and love for God and his people Zuazo took it as another life lesson.

“It has been a road full of challenges, of knocking on lots and lots of doors, of waiting, of preparing more and more, of conquering fears and navigating the immigration world,” he said.

Gomez Diaz, who holds a law degree, worked for 12 years as a lawyer for the Mexican government before he felt the call to the priesthood, he said.

“I was working with different types of people, in different statuses,” he said. Then one day, while working with people who had suffered a lot, “God’s inspiration filled my life and I asked myself, ‘Why not be a priest? Why not find that freedom for them through a spiritual way? ... I want to save souls and be an instrument of that, I want to able to bring to them the mercy of God.’” 

Since he entered the seminary, “each year has been an opportunity for human, spiritual and pastoral growth, where I have experienced the grace and faithfulness of God,” he said. “I feel great peace and joy in my heart, and I recognize the responsibility that he entrusts to me, despite my smallness: to serve him in his Church as a sign of his love and his hope, being an instrument of his grace for the salvation of souls.”

Both seminarians encourage young people who may be discerning a call to the priesthood or to the religious life to be open to the idea.

“Do not be afraid to let yourselves be looked upon and loved by God,” Gomez Diaz said. “Open your hearts to Jesus and allow him to transform you from within. Do not be afraid to encounter him in prayer, for whoever dares to enter into a sincere friendship with Christ discovers true joy.” 

“Do something; do not stand still,” Zuazo said. “Ask, research, knock on doors. God will always answer. Give yourself the opportunity to live in prayer, to grow as a human being and to serve the People of God.”

Prior to the Nov. 21 ordination at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, two vocational Holy Hours have been scheduled. One will be Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 3560 West 3650 South, West Valley City. The other will be Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 375 E. Spring Lane, Holladay. All are invited to pray for vocations to the priestly and religious life.

WHAT: Diaconal Ordination of Jose Luis Gomez Diaz and Jaime Zuazo

WHEN: Nov. 21, 6 p.m.

WHERE: Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City

Prior to the ordination two vocational Holy Hours have been scheduled. One will be Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 3560 West 3650 South, West Valley City. The other will be Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 375 E. Spring Lane, Holladay. All are invited.