Father Carlos Talavera celebrates 25 years

Father Carlos Talavera celebrates his 25th anniversary of priesthood

Grandparents were very influential in his decision to become a priest

Story by Janet Marcel ~ Photo by Lawrence Chatagnier

Father Carlos Talavera, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Church parish in Bayou Black since July 2018, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. The Iriga City, Philippines, native was ordained May 31, 1997, by Bishop Emeritus Michael Jarrell at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma.

Since being ordained, he has served as associate pastor at St. Genevieve, Christ the Redeemer and St. John the Evangelist Church parishes in Thibodaux, and St. Hilary of Poitiers Church parish in Mathews; and as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church parish in the St. Charles Community, Holy Savior Church parish in Lockport, St. Louis Church parish in Bayou Blue, and Our Lady of the Isle Church parish in Grand Isle.

Father Talavera says his grandparents were very influential in his decision to become a priest. “They prayed the rosary, went to Mass every day and taught me the basic principles of my faith.”

His grandparents lived close to them and he and his brothers would go to their house after school to wait for their parents, who were always busy running various businesses, to pick them up.

“My grandparents had a big chalkboard at their house. My grandmother would write the Apostle’s Creed and other prayers, and we would stand in front of the chalkboard and memorize them that way. We also used to tag along when they went to prayer meetings, rosary groups, charismatic gatherings, etc. But, I never really thought about becoming a priest at that time. I had heard that my father went to the seminary, but I never asked him about it, because he met my mother and that was it,” says the priest.

If he hadn’t become a priest, Father Talavera says there were many different things he thought about doing when he was growing up. He thought about being a doctor, where he could help a lot of people take care of their health. He also thought of becoming a pilot where he could travel to and see many different places around the world. And, all of his uncles served in the military, so that was also something he considered.

While he was still in elementary school, he says his grandmother wanted him to be an altar server. She would take him to 4 a.m. Mass every morning and then they would go out for breakfast at a restaurant before school started. He says that’s where he first learned about serving at Mass.

He remembers when he was in the sixth grade at an all-boys school, the principal, who was a priest, started calling all the boys one by one to his office one day. None of the boys would tell what it was about. He finally convinced one of his friends to tell him what the principal wanted. The boy told him that the principal was asking everyone what they wanted to be when they grew up. Then his friend told him that if you said you wanted to be a priest, they were going to take you on a field trip.

A few days later, these boys were told they were going to a play in Manila, which was about a three-hour bus ride away.

“We went to the play and then they took us to a seminary. It was the first time I had been to a seminary. We spent the night there and we learned all about what life was like in the seminary.”

“Father Talavera says his grandparents were very influential in his decision to become a priest. “They prayed the rosary, went to Mass every day and taught me the basic principles of my faith.” “

After he finished sixth grade, his family moved, and he and his two older brothers were accepted to high school seminary. He finished high school there and got a college education there, also.

Seminary life was very structured, he recalls. “We learned how to be disciplined. We would wake up early every morning, go to prayer, go to breakfast, attend classes, go to supper, have a time for socialization, study, then bedtime at 9 p.m. We were also assigned to a cleaning station each day – where we had to do things like scrub the floors, clean the bathroom or go outside and tend to the gardens. The experience taught us how to live in a community setting.”

After finishing college, if he would have continued on to study for the priesthood, he would have been ordained at the age of 24, which at the time he thought was too young. So he left the seminary and stayed home for about a year trying to evaluate what God wanted him to do.

He sold pharmaceutical drugs to hospitals and doctor’s offices for a while, but says that was not really for him. He had a priest friend who invited him to stay at his rectory for a while. While there, he started performing Communion services, and helping him at Masses. One day his friend asked him if he ever thought about going to the United States.

He decided to write to the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux along with a few other dioceses in the U.S. In less than two weeks, the diocesan vocations director responded to him and in less than a month, he was in the United States. He finished his priestly formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, where he says there was a little less structure than in the Philippines, and more free time.

Father Talavera says his parents were not able to come to his ordination, but his uncle who lived in California was there. One of the things that stands out in his mind about that day is after he made his promises to the bishop and all the priests came to the altar to embrace him, he remembers (the late) Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux, first bishop of the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux, embracing him and telling him to “Always be happy.”

He also recalls a group of parishioners from St. Genevieve Church parish in Thibodaux, who found out that he was being assigned there as associate pastor, coming up to him and telling him they attended his ordination because they knew he was coming to their parish and they wanted to see if they would be able to understand him … and they could. He says they all became good friends after that.

Father Talavera says the past 25 years have gone by fast. He served as an associate pastor for six or seven years before being named pastor, which he thought was a good thing and he was grateful for that.

In his free time, he enjoys cooking for others, and fishing and hunting when he’s invited.

He also likes to cut the grass, weed eat, pressure wash – the parish has not had a maintenance man for a while so he does it to save the parish some money – and he says it’s relaxing for him. But mostly, he just likes to rest and take it easy on his days off.

One of the things Father Talavera cherishes most and is most grateful for are the loving, generous, caring people here in the diocese. He was able to get to know and build relationships with so many families. And he says the people were always welcoming and hospitable to him everywhere he served.

Father Talavera says his motto has always been: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). BC