“POPE John Paul II notes an important aspect of love that is the bond that brings people together. It is a bond that is objectively good and it is through this bond of love that freedom is implied through the “discovery of an agreement or even an identity between the other’s good and one own’s good. The bond of love expresses the good of both people involved and in recognizing that the good of oneself is equally important to the good of the other makes this bond last as it is not formed out of selfish or egotistic reasons, but upon a recognized offering of oneself as a gift to the other.” – Fr. Michael Perucho, Living out the Imago Dei, 2011.
This story was handpicked by our publisher Cora Oriel, to be done for NAFP-USA. She read about Fr. Michael Perucho’s recent ordination as part of the first class of priests, ordained by the incumbent Archbishop Jose Gomez, succeeding Cardinal Emeritus Roger Mahony.
At age 30, Michael became Fr. Michael Perucho on June 4, 2011, with three Master’s Degrees to his name: one in Master’s in Education in Loyola Marymount University (LMU), a Master’s in Divinity and a Master of Arts in Moral Theology. He completed his thesis: “Living out the Imago Dei through John Paul II’s Theology of the Body” at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, CA.He went to St. Leo the Great for his elementary years. While at St. Leo, he excelled in sports, academics, church server and became student government president at 8th grade. He went to Bellarmine College Preparatory, where the Jesuit ethics of a “man for others” inspired him to be active in campus ministry and cultural clubs.
He became the Filipino Student Association’s president and under his tenure, held their first Pilipino Cultural Night. He graduated with distinction as an Ignatius Loyola Ministry award recipient.
Michael heard his moral calling while serving as an altar boy when he was in fourth grade.
He credits his prayerful mom, Aurora Yadao Perucho, who prayed that one of her children will become God’s servant; and his dad, Alfredo Perucho, for showing him how to be a father to God’s people and leading the family in praying together. Aurora hails from Camiling, Tarlac while Alfredo comes from Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
He was inspired by his pastor, Fr. Shea, who made priesthood enjoyable. He gives credit to Fr. Shea for being the example he follows.
At first, he thought of becoming a doctor so he pursued his Bachelor’s in Biochemistry at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). He was active as a teacher’s assistant in chemistry and physics and participated in many campus organizations: Zeta Phi Rho Fraternity, Chemistry Society, Crimson Circle Service Organization, and his organizational and leadership skills led him to be the student government president of the Associated Students of LMU during his senior year, and also, as president of the national council of Zeta Phi Rho Fraternity. He graduated with distinction as American Institute of Chemists’ Overall Best Graduating Senior.
He then pursued a Master’s in Education through a teaching program -- Partners in Los Angeles Catholic Education (PLACE) and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles -- where for two years, Michael lived with fellow teachers, while teaching chemistry and physics at Junipero Serra High School in Gardena.
While attending mass at St. Anthony of Padua in Gardena and while he was involved in the youth ministry and teen program at this church, he had an adoration experience where he felt God’s presence.
He was 24 and described the experience as like having two magnets being drawn together. It was here when he received his call that “now is the time.”
He began his discernment process and began attending daily Mass. He met with a spiritual director and visited the seminary.
He, then, made the decision to enter St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo and completed his two master’s degrees in May of 2011. He said that his thesis allowed him to understand that “ we are all made in the image of God. It is up to us to understand self-sacrifice, self-giving and that the best way to live Imago Dei is through relationship with others, in front of that relationship is a relationship with God, and then, expanding that as relationship with others.”
While in the seminary, he continued his active role and coordinated many events to help in creating a community amongst seminarians, faculty and staff as the vice-president of the student senate. He was given the “Angie Ortiz Community Service Award” for his active community involvement.
At the NAFP-USA, Fr. Michael Perucho acted as an emcee and worked with a group of altar servers, who assisted in the daily Eucharist and Mass Celebrations for 400 Filipino Priests in their first national assembly from Nov. 8-11, 2011.
He described love as a mutual exchange -- giving Glory to God and allowing ourselves to live our lives with purpose.
I demurred that love is not a mutual exchange, as it would be commodified. He quickly corrected and referred to it as mutual self-giving -- the purest kind of love one can give to himself and to another being.
Fr. Michael offers this for reflections, quite apropos for Christmas: “The work of Pope John Paul II known as the Theology of the Body has opened up a door to the identity of humanity as made in the image of God, a God who is love that has revealed and manifested himself through the persons of the Trinity. This love is a love that binds people together and creates a communion of persons, a community of love that is filled with a mutual giving and receiving of the love that is imparted in humanity from our creation by God. The Theology of Body has provided humanity the opportunity to look at God and his work in each one of us in order to contemplate our purpose in life as creatures who have been mage in the Imago Dei. It is an image that invites us to go beyond ourselves as we have already been givine a foundation of who we are as we are founded in God. It is God who created us and God to whom we should look at in order to better understand ourselves.”
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