Father Francisco Blandon
FR. Francisco Blandon, Associate Pastor
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Napa, California
I was born in the province of Jinotega, Nicaragua, Central America, on September 20, 1970. I’m the last of a total of 7 sons and daughters along with my parents…. My be loved father died 8 years ago and my dear mother still lives and works in my home town. Once I graduated from high school, in 1989, I started my vocation as a seminarian on El Seminario Nacional Nuestra Señora de Fatima in Managua, Nicaragua. I studied there for 5 years and then I was relocated at El Seminario Cristo Sacerdote in La Ceja, Antioquia, Colombia.
I was ordained as a Priest on February 26, 1996 in the Cathedral of Jinotega by the most reverent Bishop Pedro Limisimaco Vilchez (Bishop Emerito today). Just after being ordained I was assigned to two different parishes, at the same time, in the province of Cua and Bocay with a territorial extension of 4,234 Km2 and a population of 80,000 habitants of which 70% are Catholics.
After 7 years of vocational service on these wonderful communities I was send to Rome, Italy to complete my Cannon Law Degree (Magna Cum Laude) at the Gregorian University. At my return to Jinotega, I was assigned as Pastor at the Cathedral of San Juan de Jinotega, Associate Cannon law for the Diocese of Jinotega.
In 2007 on my vacation time period I felt the desire to work for this Diocese, 17 years ago, since I started to visit my sister who lives in Sonoma, CA.
I met our most reverent Bishop Walsh at that year, and I expressed to him my desire to help the Hispanic Community of this Diocese. He accepted my petition and we went to all the process to do the exchange along with my Bishop on Jinotega, Nicaragua. On May 11, 2008 I was assigned to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church here in Napa CA.
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