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Fr.
John Paul Forte, OP
I was born in Hollywood, California on May 15, 1964. My mother tells
me that her water broke during a James Bond film -- a Sean Connery
Bond film. I have 3 older brothers and a sister who is fourteen
months younger than me.
My
parents were always into volunteering for something, so I received
the "the call" to serve at an early age. As a youngster growing up
in Southern California, I was always attracted to opportunities that
invited me to grow beyond myself and my local community. It was for
this reason that I enrolled in the Queen of Angels High School for
boys exploring a vocation to the priesthood and other ways of
service in the Church.
This
was a life-changing experience for me, mainly because it stirred the
flames of "a call of service" that I wanted to discover and express.
Following high school, I studied at St. John's College Seminary for
two years to continue to explore my journey. I discovered quickly
that I was called to explore another path.
The
road to this path presented itself in one of the mission statements
of the Western Dominican Province: "Seek God and truth, and be of
good use to others." Never had I heard so well articulated what I
wanted to do with my life. At the time, I had no idea that I would
become a priest. All I knew was that I had found a path that I had
to explore.
As a
Dominican, I had a great experience at the Graduate Theological
Union in Berkeley, a unique consortium of Catholic, Protestant, and
other religious institutes. After eight years of study, prayer,
community, questions, distractions, and discernment, I was ordained
a Dominican priest with three others, one being Fr. Dominic DeLay,
who served with me for four amazing years at UCSD, and now is
serving the Province through a full-time film-making ministry in
Hollywood.
After
ordination I was assigned to St. Dominic's Church in San Francisco
for three years, Stanford University for six years (where my love of
university work was born), and to graduate studies in counseling at
the University of San Diego. After one year at USD, my studies were
interupted when I received "the call" to serve as Director of the
Catholic Community at UCSD.
I have
been serving this amazing community since the summer of 2003.
Although I hope to complete my studies in counseling, I am not sorry
for the GIFT of serving the Newman Center at UCSD.
Welcome to our Province web-stie! May you always "seek the truth"
and discover how God is calling you "to be of good use to others.
Last
Updated: 11-13-07
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