Fr. Eder Estrada, FM.
-
Pastorpastorstjosephcoatesville.orgBorn on July 9, 1982, in El Banco Magdalena, Colombia. Father Estrada was baptized on June 19, 1983 in the parish Our Lady of “La Candelaria”, in the Banco Magdalena, Colombia. His parents are Otoniel Estrada Tovar and Beatriz Muñoz Cera and he is the oldest of 5 children: Luis Carlos, Cristian, Adriana and Jorge.
Before discovering his religious vocation, he studied Civil Engineering and graduated as an Engineer working for a period of time in that profession. Father Estrada soon discovered that he had not really achieved the goal of happiness in that work, nor had he found happiness in material things. This is when the stirrings of a vocation to the priesthood first started, a restlessness that made him ask God for the first time what His plan was.
After attempts to find an explanation to his restlessness and to seek spiritual help with some priests, the religious family of the Franciscans of Mary came into his life, and he decided to leave everything to live this experience. He resigned his job and joined the Franciscans of Mary in 2008.Since then, he has become a part of the Catholic family where I discovered that only God makes us fully happy and that He deserves the best because He has loved us to the extreme.
Father Estrada did his theological study at the Ecclesiastical University San Damaso, in Madrid, Spain. On June 6, 2013, he received from God the gift of being ordained as His priest. He started his Ministry in Madrid, and also completed a six month of Mission in Mexico prior to moving to Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
“I am a priest of Christ, of His Church and a missionary of gratitude.”
– Fr Eder Estrada, FM.
