Deacon Flores will serve as diocesan priest and Army chaplain

By Mary P. Walker | Senior Correspondent

With joy and thanksgiving, Bishop Joe Vásquez will ordain Deacons Miguel Flores-Perez, Kyle Nesrsta, Zack Rodriguez, Will Rooney and Chris Smith to the priesthood on June 27.
Deacon Flores-Pérez, 42, and the oldest of the five men, forged his connection with the diocese while on military leave.
The son of Andrés and Shirley Flores, he is the second oldest of three boys. Born in Puerto Rico, Deacon Flores grew up in a Catholic family that moved often due to his father’s Army career.
After high school, Deacon Flores attended Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia for three years, and was considering the priesthood. His education was cut short after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, motivated him to enlist in the Army.
As an active duty soldier for more than eight years, he was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, he passed the rigorous selection process for Special Forces, commonly known as the Green Berets.
During his time in Special Forces, Deacon Flores felt God’s call to the priesthood in a more compelling way. Other soldiers, seeing him practice the faith, asked if he ever considered becoming a chaplain. After spending a year in Iraq without ever seeing a priest, he understood the importance of bringing the sacraments to those in the military.
“That experience really left a big impression on my heart,” he said. The example of the chaplains he knew growing up and those he served with in the Army clarified his discernment. He wanted to be a Catholic priest and a military chaplain. One of his personal heroes is the late Father Emil Kapaun, who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courage and ministry during the Korean War. Father Kapaun rescued wounded soldiers and continued his ministry as a prisoner of war, eventually dying in the camp.
While on leave, Deacon Flores often visited his brother in Austin. Those visits fostered his connection to the diocese. He considers St. Mary Cathedral his home parish. In 2010, he left the Army and resumed his studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, graduating in 2012 with a degree in theology.
The Archdiocese for Military Services, in partnership with local dioceses, provides chaplains for the armed forces and their families. The archdiocese and the Austin Diocese entered into an agreement to accept Deacon Flores for seminary education and formation. He attended St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston.
Currently, he is a chaplain candidate in the Army Reserve. After his ordination to the priesthood, he will serve in the Austin Diocese for three years and continue his ministry in the reserve. He will then be ready for active duty as an Army chaplain.
Deacon Flores describes the blessings of formation as “being around other men who are passionate about the priesthood and the faith, and seeing our calling mature and develop.” He is grateful to family members, friends, the many priests who influenced and listened to him through the years, and those in the Army who encouraged his call. He is also grateful to the diocese and Bishop Vásquez for allowing him to eventually serve as a military chaplain.
As a priest, he looks forward to being a minister of God’s mercy within a parish and as a chaplain. For men and women who are wondering whether God is calling them to the priesthood or religious life, he suggests they go to a place where they can hear God’s voice more clearly. Seminaries, monasteries and convents can help, he said. They should not be afraid to commit, as God only desires the best for them.
He will celebrate Masses of thanksgiving June 28 at noon and 3:30 p.m. at St. Mary Cathedral in Austin and July 5 at 6 p.m. at Our Lady of the Atonement Parish in San Antonio.