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A few weeks ago, I wrote about hiring a new youth ministry coordinator. Today, I would like to share with you the person we've chosen to continue to lead the youth ministry at St. Timothy. I've asked Vince to write something about himself so you can get to know him a bit. You'll likely see him around on occasion as well so say hello to him.
Fr. Brian Trueman
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Greetings to all parishioners of St. Timothy’s,
My name is Vince Diestro and I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve the parish of St. Timothy as the new Youth Ministry Coordinator. As a formal introduction, here are a few things about myself. I was born in the Philippines in the city of Mandaluyong and later moved to Los Angeles, California in 2004 before settling in Winnipeg in late 2009. There are five of us in the family: my Dad, Mom, older brother and sister which makes me the youngest in the family. We also have our two dogs, Griffin and Arlo. My family’s home parish is Our Lady of Victory Memorial Parish of the Archdiocese of Winnipeg but we have occasionally attended St. Timothy’s since moving in the South Saint Vital neighbourhood in 2020. Hobbies I enjoy in my free time are playing basketball and playing card and board games with friends and family. My favourite Saints are St. Faustina Kowalska and St. Ignatius of Loyola and some of my favourite devotions are praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and praying the 7 Sorrows
Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Another thing I’d like to share is that I was previously in seminary formation for three years discerning the call to the priesthood at St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta which in fact is the same seminary that our very own Fr. Brian attended—he probably doesn’t remember seeing me but I remember seeing him there at his last year in the seminary when
I visited for a weekend retreat in 2019. With much thought, discernment, and deliberation,
I made the decision to discern out of the seminary in the summer of 2023 and since then I have been back home with my family. Prior to entering seminary, I have had the privilege to serve kids and youth in the Couples for Christ community here in Winnipeg in their different demographic subgroups: CFCY (Couples for Christ Youth) and KFC (Kids for Christ). My role in CFC-Youth has been particularly rewarding, as I have had the opportunity to mentor and guide youth and young adults through their spiritual journeys for over five years. This experience has honed my skills in leadership, event planning, and program development through the years complimented by the formation I received at St. Joseph Seminary between 2020-2023.
My passion for wanting to serve the youth stems from my own experiences of falling away from the faith and later
having a reversion in my early adulthood in 2017. Many of the young people today are often swayed and misled by the temptations of the world and the result is that often times, we’re unfortunately seeing many young people fall away from the Catholic faith or completely walk away from God. With God’s helping hand, my hope is that I can be an instrument He can use to help mentor and serve the youth by bringing them closer to Him and helping them nurture their own faith and relationship with Jesus as they continue to journey in life. I yearn to share the goodness and blessings I’ve received from God in my reversion that living a life with Christ, is a life worth living! I look forward to meeting and serving the youth here in St. Timothy’s and I hope to see some of you youth at future events. God bless!
In Christ,
Vince Diestro
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