Jonathan Luciano | #YPMissionary

Let us meet Jonathan Luciano, a young and vibrant mission worker who is also currently the president of the Aid to the Church in Need Philippines.

Tell us about yourself and your journey of knowing Christ

I am currently the National Director of the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Formerly, I am the Youth Coordinator of my diocese (San Jose, Nueva Ecija) and was in charge of the Ministry of Altar Servers in my parish (St. Joseph Cathedral Parish).

What or who made you decide to be a missionary?
Can you share to us your journey of becoming a missionary?

It all started when I got involved with the Youth ministry of my parish. I discovered the beauty of our faith and how to live it by being a youth servant. In my journey as a youth minister, I was able to nurture my faith, strengthen it and share it. I was blessed to have been sent to Taize where I made the most important decision of my life- that is to dedicate my whole life to serve God by serving his people and his Church.

I have been a very active youth minister not only in my diocese but in the regional and national levels as well. I became part of the YOUCAT Philippines Foundation and was sent to Germany to participate in the YOUCAT Development Project.
There I met the President of Aid to the Church in Need International, the Papal Charity which owns the YOUCAT Foundation. That is my first encounter with ACN. I didn’t know that that encounter would lead me to being the National Director of ACN Philippines.

What makes you feel like a child?

Whenever I get to be with young people and do youth ministry and whenever I get to play with my nephews and nieces.

What are your simple joys?

Binge watching while drinking milk and eating junk foods.

In your missionary adventure, what were your joys, struggles, challenges and even difficulties?

Being a missionary gives me a sense of fulfillment, a sense of purpose. There are many difficulties and enormous challenges, even danger to my own life because of the nature of my work – to be with Christians who are persecuted and oppressed and who are minorities in their communities. But there is great joy in serving them, in being in solidarity with them and seeing their grateful faces whenever we extend help and assistance to them.

How do you define joy?

Joy is when you find fulfillment in what you do, when you are contented and you find purpose. I have many joyful moments and one of those moments is when I attended the reconsecration of the Cathedral of Jolo. It was bombed and many people died. ACN helped in its reconstruction and when I attended the reconsecration of the Church, I saw how genuinely happy the faithful of Jolo were. It was an experience I will never forget. I was so happy that ACN, through our benefactors and mission partners, was able to help the faithful of Jolo by rebuilding their house of worship.

 In who and what you are now, what are your other dreams or do you still have anything you want to achieve?

God is always at work with me. I know that he keeps on preparing me for bigger missions and for this, I always try to have an open heart and mind to accept God’s plans. My dream is for ACN Philippines to be successful in its mission to bring God’s love to suffering Christians around the world.

What is your message to young people who are now feeling lost, who are still finding their purpose, who doesn’t know what to do with their lives?

God will never leave you. Even in your darkest moments, He is there, embracing you. You just need to be aware if his presence through prayer and you should strive to have a personal time with him. In time, God will reveal his plans for you. Just hold on to him and he will show you the way.

If you have a favorite Bible verse,  what is it and why.

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

In my life, I have encountered many selfless people who readily offer themselves in the service of others. I have been inspired by these people who live out Christ’s call of love of neighbor and they continue to challenge me to be selfless in my expression of love of God and others.

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