Deacon Zack Rodriguez was introduced to the faith while studying at UT

By Mary P. Walker | Senior Correspondent

Deacon Zack Rodriguez, 33, was baptized Catholic, but was not fully initiated into the faith until college. He is the son of Ricky and Doris Rodriguez of Elgin. He has two older brothers, Luke and Mark. Along with Sacred Heart Parish in Elgin, Deacon Rodriguez considers St. John Vianney Parish in Round Rock to be his home parish.
His family attended different Protestant churches while he was growing up. He characterized his early faith experience as Christian, with a strong social component. As a student at the University of Texas in Austin, he stopped attending church, adopted a secular mindset, and saw religion as something that kept him from doing what he wanted to do.
In the meantime, Deacon Rodriguez’ older brothers returned to their Catholic roots. While deployed to Iraq with the Marines, Luke rediscovered the beauty of Catholicism through the ministry of a chaplain. At the same time, Mark was a music director for a Lutheran congregation and “studied” his way back to the faith. The brothers, in turn, had lively discussions about Catholicism with their parents, who at first were resistant, but later also returned to the faith.
Deacon Rodriguez witnessed the positive changes in his family, especially in his brother Mark. One day he stopped by the University Catholic Center and met with Father Ed Koharchik. Rather than a gentle inquiry about the faith, Deacon Rodriguez spent an hour telling him “what was wrong with the Catholic Church.” Father Koharchik patiently listened, and invited him back to talk again and to help other students paint the rectory kitchen.
“Little by little by little my heart was softened,” Deacon Rodriguez said. He joined the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adult (RCIA) process at the University Catholic Center and received the sacrament of confirmation and his first Communion.
Deacon Rodriguez believes he first heard God’s call to the priesthood shortly after he was confirmed. Not having the courage, knowledge or experience to respond, he was scared, kept it a secret, and did not seek guidance.
“Because I didn’t grow up watching priests, I didn’t have a sense of the life of a priest,” he said.
He also stopped practicing the faith for a time. However, he later discovered that the faith “was filling every kind of void that I was trying to fill on my own.”
After college, he was a real estate agent  for a while. When he experienced God’s call again at age 24, he did not keep it a secret and sought guidance. While he was discerning, Father Michael O’Connor, then-pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, was his spiritual director. Deacon Rodriguez credits his example with introducing him to the blessings and challenges of the life of a diocesan priest.
Deacon Rodriguez’ seminary formation began at St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana, and continued at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
“The church pours herself into you as a seminarian, and you are afforded every opportunity to grow and respond to God’s grace working in your life,” he said.
As a priest, he looks forward to celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments, especially the sacrament of reconciliation, which was key to his own conversion story. He wants to bring that sacramental grace to others, he said.
He also encourages men and women who wonder if God is calling them to the priesthood or religious life to pray, and to let others know they are considering it.
“The vocation is more than yourself or your understanding. You have to allow God to show you his tremendous love. It’s about the relationship, not an end goal,” Deacon Rodriguez said.
He will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving June 28 at 11 a.m. at St. John Vianney Parish in Round Rock.