My home parish is St. John Vianney in Houston, TX. I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. I am the youngest of 9 brothers and sisters.
The Catholic schools that I attended from Kindergarten through College had a great influence on my faith journey.
Before entering the seminary I had experience as a graphic designer, and in 2007 I had the opportunity to pursue a new work experience and moved to Houston and to become a bilingual teacher for Alief ISD.
My relationship with Jesus has given me many blessings in different ways and manifested through many people in my life. My trust in God has been the way to follow His voice in small and big decisions. To be able to achieve a “silence of the heart” as Blessed Mother Teresa would say is how God speaks to us and let’s us know His will.
Devoting a holy hour with the Blessed Sacrament, spiritual and theological reading, young adult service ministries, teaching, and Daily Mass are some of the activities that I have found more productive in my spiritual journey.
I have always admired and had special reverence to the priesthood since I was a little boy, but God let me experience other roads before I started to look at the priesthood as something real and possible.
I attended Life Awareness and men’s discernment retreats which allowed me to take the first serious steps towards the priesthood. I feel that being accepted at the seminary is a true gift from God -  a gift from His very heart  - to experience Him in a total surrender to His will, and that brings me joy.
My favorite Scripture verse is from Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” This verse gives me hope, shows me the love of God, and builds my commitment to follow Jesus. Please pray for my vocation to grow stronger every day.
 
 
Fr. Ricardo Arriola, Bio from Houston Vocations.com