Fr. Gustavo Castillo [Class of 2016]
Fr. Gustavo Castillo is a priest of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA. Born in Mexico in a small town near Guadalajara, he immigrated with his family to the United States when he was fifteen. He received a scholarship to attend college at St. Meinrad’s in Indiana and after a year, felt God calling him to enter a seminary. He did so and was ordained a priest in 2001. After several years working in the Los Angeles parishes, Fr. Castillo was sent to Rome where he obtained his licentiate (2014) and doctorate (2016) in spiritual theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Fr. Castillo is currently Director of spiritual direction at St. John’s Seminary (Los Angeles, CA). He also just published a book based on his dissertation written at the Angelicum. His work is entitled, Shepherding the People of God: the Spirituality of Diocesan Priests in St. John of the Cross. In his writings, Fr. Castillo shows that St. John of the Cross “was a mentor of renewal” for many of the leaders in the Church of his day. His recommendations to the Council of Trent regarding the formation of diocesan priests and the need for established seminaries was especially influential. According to Fr. Castillo, St. John of the Cross was also able to articulate the mutual sanctification that occurs between a priest and his people and to express the idea of a universal call to holiness.
Fr. Castillo said of his time at the Angelicum, “I am extremely grateful to the Angelicum for forming me as a priest and spiritual director.” He has nothing but fond memories and deep gratitude for his time at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and Fr. Luke Buckles OP. The fruit of his studies, now published by the Institute for Priestly Formation (USA), will assist seminary formators, seminarians and priests from around the world.