Vocations Spotlight: Deacon Jonathan Callejo

As the Diocese of East Anglia continues to celebrate its 50th Jubilee Year, we are shining a spotlight on the people who live out their vocations in service to our diocesan family. Each month, we meet a member of our clergy or someone in formation, reflecting on their call, their ministry and their hopes for the future.

This month, we hear from Jonathan Callejo, recently ordained Deacon at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, who shares how his vocation first took shape, what inspires him in his ministry today, and why fostering vocations remains vital to the life of our diocese.

In July last year I was ordained as a permanent deacon, and when I reflect on the journey that led me here, I see my own story mirrored in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

My faith journey began long before I could understand it for myself. I was born and raised as a Catholic by my grandparents in the Philippines, who taught me how to pray, brought me faithfully to Mass, and showed me what it meant to trust in God through their daily lives. The foundations of my vocation were laid quietly within the home.

My late grandmother, in particular, played a defining role in shaping my faith. She often reminded me of a dream she once had, that one day I might become a priest. As a child, I did not understand what that might mean, but her words stayed with me. She frequently spoke to me about the Parable of the Prodigal Son, teaching me that no matter how far we wander, God never stops waiting for us. Only later did I realise how those early lessons had prepared my heart to recognise God’s call.

As life unfolded, I married my wife, Jenuary, and together we were blessed with three children, Christian, Lauren and Jacob. Family life has been a profound school of love, teaching me patience, sacrifice and fidelity. Alongside this, my vocation as a staff nurse at NNUH deepened my understanding of service. Nursing has brought me face to face with human vulnerability, suffering and hope, and it has shaped how I understand ministry, not as status or authority, but as presence, compassion and accompaniment.

As I grew older, my involvement in the Church deepened when I became an altar server at St John’s Cathedral, which is my parish. Serving at the altar allowed me to experience the beauty of the liturgy and the closeness of God in a very tangible way. Even then, I did not yet recognise this as the beginning of a call to ordained ministry, but it quietly shaped my love for the Church and for service.

Like the prodigal son, my path was not always straightforward. There were times when I drifted away from God, distracted by life and uncertain of my purpose. Yet God’s patience never failed. A defining moment came on Good Friday, when I heard the Lord calling me through the voice of a fellow parishioner, Peter Thorn. In the stillness and solemnity of that day, his words reached my heart with clarity. In that moment, I felt called not only to return, but to offer my life in service.

That call led me into four years of formation at St Mary’s University in London, where I studied and was prepared for the permanent diaconate. Those years were a time of deep spiritual, academic and pastoral formation. Like the prodigal welcomed home and clothed anew, I found myself being shaped and formed by the Church, challenged to grow in faith, humility and understanding. The experience strengthened my relationship with God and confirmed the call I had heard.

Throughout this journey, I was supported by my family, particularly my wife and our three children, my academic tutor Canon David Paul, my spiritual director Fr Michael Smith, our parish priests, fellow parishioners and the wider diocesan community. Through their encouragement, prayers and guidance, and through the diocesan discernment process, I learned that vocation is not about personal worthiness, but about openness to God’s grace and trust in His call.

Living the vocation of the permanent diaconate has brought me a deep sense of joy and purpose. Like the prodigal who is restored as a beloved son, I have come to understand that ministry flows from mercy rather than merit. Proclaiming the Gospel, assisting at the altar, celebrating baptism for children, visiting the sick and accompanying people at key moments of their lives continually remind me that the heart of the diaconate is service. Moreover, to me, the diaconate means being configured to Christ the Servant, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Mark: “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve”.

The Diocese of East Anglia is a meaningful place for me to live out this vocation, as it is where my faith has been nurtured, tested and renewed. Promoting vocations is essential today, as the Church needs visible witnesses to God’s continuing call and compassion.

To anyone who may be wondering whether God is calling them, I would say: do not be afraid of your past or your doubts. God often begins His work quietly and patiently. Parish communities can nurture vocations by creating spaces of prayer, encouragement and service, where people feel welcomed and supported.

As I look ahead, my hope is that vocations in the diocese will continue to flourish. May many more people discover, as I have, that when we turn back to God, we are met not with judgement, but with open arms and an invitation to serve.

Deo gratias.

Comments