{"id":5421,"date":"2025-09-18T01:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T01:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/?p=5421"},"modified":"2025-12-31T16:27:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T16:27:25","slug":"maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Maria del Pilar Guzman, OSV News<\/a><\/em>
Translated by <\/em>Maryknoll magazine staff<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(OSV News) \u2014 Twenty-one days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Rodrigo Ulloa was aboard a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean. As a member of the Air Force, he had been deployed to the Middle East for four months and was on his way from Norfolk, Virginia, to the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was in this context \u201cthat I discovered my vocation<\/a>,\u201d said Father Ulloa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amid the members of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps from across the United States, Ulloa\u2019s gaze turned to a soldier who was reading on the plane. Looking more closely, he noticed a cross sewn onto the left sleeve of the soldier\u2019s uniform and saw that the book in his hands was not just any book, but a Bible. The soldier was a military chaplain and he was praying, Father Ulloa told OSV News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe exuded a lot of peace, radiated a lot of peace, and I didn\u2019t feel at peace at that moment,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cSo, seeing him so serene, calm, praying, I thought, \u2018Wow.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was my first sign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second sign that Father Ulloa<\/a> received \u2014 and which would consolidate his call to the priesthood<\/a> \u2014 came in the final phase of his deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the four months he lived in the United Arab Emirates, he met the chaplain from the plane, Father David Czartorynski, who, during that time, prepared him for the sacrament of confirmation and invited him to discern his vocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A heart ready to join God\u2019s army<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When he returned to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, where he was stationed, Father Ulloa gave the base chaplain a sealed letter from Father Czartorynski. The letter stated that Father Ulloa was ready to receive the sacrament of confirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the note was also written: \u201cRodrigo wants to be a priest<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon learning of the letter\u2019s contents, Father Ulloa thought: \u201c(Father Czartorynski) saw something in me that I did not see. And if he took the risk of writing it, I will take the risk of believing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo I told the chaplain, \u2018Yes, (being a priest) is exactly what I want to be,’\u201d he recounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From an early age in his native Guatemala, Father Ulloa grew up in a Catholic environment, both in his family life and at school, where there was daily Mass and where the presence of priests supported the growth of students\u2019 faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The son of a salesman and a librarian, Father Ulloa had a very active childhood in which he played many sports, including soccer, volleyball and swimming; he also went on picnics and trips to the beach with his family every month. During vacations, he would visit his maternal grandmother in Florida and his aunts in Virginia, where he was exposed to English and to American culture \u2014 which undoubtedly served him well when his family moved permanently to the United States in 1999.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a cousin of Father Ulloa\u2019s who was in the Army who encouraged him to enlist in the Air Force, as it could offer him funding for a college career. However, when the time came to decide<\/a>, he turned to his family, because \u201cif the sacrifices we make are made within a family circle, they make much more sense than if we make them in isolation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a family decision \u2014 they supported me. And this is important because it would be the same with my vocation<\/a>,\u201d Father Ulloa noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call to become a Maryknoll missioner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"Maryknoll
Maryknoll Fathers Hung Dinh and Rodrigo Ulloa pose with a banner. As director of vocations for Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Father Ulloa accompanies young men discerning a lifelong commitment to mission as priests or brothers. (OSV News\/Courtesy of Rodrigo Ulloa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Father Ulloa left the Air Force a very different man from the young man who had arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota, four years and two months earlier. Not only did he have a degree in computer science and was a veteran who had served in the Middle East, but he had also discovered his vocation in the process \u2014 a vocation that would lead him to prepare for the priesthood in the Diocese of Rapid City<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, just as had happened on that decisive trip to the Middle East, the tendency to find signs in the most unexpected places would continue throughout Father Ulloa\u2019s vocational journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Thanksgiving weekend, and Father Ulloa, who was studying philosophy and theology at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minnesota, was invited by another seminarian to spend the holiday in Goshen, Indiana. When he attended Mass that Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, he happened to meet a Maryknoll priest who was giving a talk on what it meant to be a missioner<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe word \u2018mission\u2019 intrigued me. I felt it was another sign,\u201d he added. \u201cI had already been exposed to travel with the Air Force, to other cultures, and had become familiar with different languages and diverse ways of thinking, so when (the Maryknoll priest) presented the idea of what a missioner was, it fascinated me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The then-bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City, now Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, encouraged Father Ulloa to continue cultivating his interest in mission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

After completing the year at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Father Ulloa entered Maryknoll in 2004, studied for a master\u2019s degree in divinity at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago<\/a>, and was ordained a priest in 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First steps in mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

His first mission after ordination was in Kathmandu, Nepal, and his second mission was in Taiwan, where he learned Mandarin at a university in Taipei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was in Taiwan that, at the request of the Hispanic community, he became the assistant chaplain for scholarship students from various Latin American countries, including El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay. This led Father Ulloa to form a group of young adults called \u201cPescadores de Luz\u201d<\/em> (Fishers of Light<\/a>), and marked his first time ministering to this population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to see young people involved in their church, whether as volunteers or serving in some other way,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want young people to have a deep understanding of what the Church is, of what the Church has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His ministry with young people<\/a> would continue \u2014 and expand \u2014 when he returned to the United States and became the Maryknoll Society\u2019s director of vocations<\/a> in 2020. Now this missioner accompanies young men between the ages of 21 and 40 who are in the process of discerning a vocation to the priesthood or brotherhood \u2014 supporting them in the process he himself experienced years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this period of discernment, he said, \u201cwe want them to cultivate healthy relationships, we want them to cultivate prayer, values of responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want them to see what their priorities are in this life,\u201d he said. \u201cMother Teresa always said, \u2018Do things with (great) love,\u2019 so we want these young people to do things with great love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he accompanies young people who are discerning a lifelong commitment, Father Ulloa invites them not to be afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing where God wants you to be is something we discover gradually, thoughtfully and carefully,\u201d the director of vocations wrote in a reflection for Revista Misioneros<\/em><\/a>, a Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continues to pray \u201cthat all young people respond generously to God\u2019s call,\u201d because \u2014 as he discovered when he began his journey toward the missionary priesthood \u2014 \u201cJesus guides and sustains us every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured image: Father Rodrigo Ulloa, director of vocations for the Maryknoll Society since 2020, distributes Communion. Father Ulloa, who emigrated from Guatemala with his family in 1999, began to discover his priestly vocation during a deployment flight to the United Arab Emirates in 2001, while he was a member of the Air Force. <\/em>(OSV News\/Courtesy of Father Rodrigo Ulloa)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn about the path that led Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa from serving in the U.S. Air Force to serving as a warrior in God\u2019s army.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":5422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_eb_data_table":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1053],"tags":[1808,1807,1806,1809,1810,1812,632,1811,162,1814,1816,457,1815,1813,407],"class_list":["post-5421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cardinal-blase-cupich","tag-diocese-of-rapid-city","tag-discernment","tag-father-david-czartorynski","tag-father-maryknoll","tag-gods-call","tag-maryknoll","tag-maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa","tag-maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-chavarry","tag-maryknoll-mission","tag-maryknoll-priest","tag-mission","tag-priesthood","tag-priesthood-journey","tag-vocations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner - Maryknoll Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner - Maryknoll Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn about the path that led Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa from serving in the U.S. Air Force to serving as a warrior in God\u2019s army.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Maryknoll Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-18T01:55:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T16:27:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"651\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"OSV News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"OSV News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"OSV News\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/78b508897748b14f03af3c709940d12b\"},\"headline\":\"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T01:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-31T16:27:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/\"},\"wordCount\":1328,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Cardinal Blase Cupich\",\"Diocese of Rapid City\",\"Discernment\",\"Father David Czartorynski\",\"Father Maryknoll\",\"God\u2019s call\",\"Maryknoll\",\"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa\",\"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry\",\"Maryknoll mission\",\"Maryknoll priest\",\"mission\",\"priesthood\",\"priesthood journey\",\"vocations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/\",\"name\":\"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner - Maryknoll Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T01:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-31T16:27:25+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg\",\"width\":853,\"height\":651,\"caption\":\"Father Rodrigo Ulloa, director of vocations for the Maryknoll Society since 2020, distributes Communion. Father Ulloa, who emigrated from Guatemala with his family in 1999, began to discover his priestly vocation during a deployment flight to the United Arab Emirates in 2001, while he was a member of the Air Force. (OSV News\/Courtesy of Father Rodrigo Ulloa)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/\",\"name\":\"Maryknoll Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Maryknoll Magazine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/cropped-MKFB_Logo_Transparet1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/cropped-MKFB_Logo_Transparet1.png\",\"width\":333,\"height\":68,\"caption\":\"Maryknoll Magazine\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/78b508897748b14f03af3c709940d12b\",\"name\":\"OSV News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/osvnews_avatar-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/osvnews_avatar-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"OSV News\"},\"description\":\"OSV News is a national and international wire service reporting on Catholic issues and issues that affect Catholics. It is a part of OSV Publishing, a division of OSV, the largest English-language Catholic publishing company in the United States. OSV, based in Huntington, Indiana, was founded in 1912.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/author\/osvnews\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner - Maryknoll Magazine","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner - Maryknoll Magazine","og_description":"Learn about the path that led Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa from serving in the U.S. Air Force to serving as a warrior in God\u2019s army.","og_url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/","og_site_name":"Maryknoll Magazine","article_published_time":"2025-09-18T01:55:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-31T16:27:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":853,"height":651,"url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"OSV News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"OSV News","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/"},"author":{"name":"OSV News","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/78b508897748b14f03af3c709940d12b"},"headline":"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner","datePublished":"2025-09-18T01:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-31T16:27:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/"},"wordCount":1328,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg","keywords":["Cardinal Blase Cupich","Diocese of Rapid City","Discernment","Father David Czartorynski","Father Maryknoll","God\u2019s call","Maryknoll","Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa","Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry","Maryknoll mission","Maryknoll priest","mission","priesthood","priesthood journey","vocations"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/","url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/","name":"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner - Maryknoll Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-18T01:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-31T16:27:25+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/20250915T2015-LATINO-SHORT-PROFILE-FATHER-ULLOA-MM-1804299MIS-e1758215925697.jpg","width":853,"height":651,"caption":"Father Rodrigo Ulloa, director of vocations for the Maryknoll Society since 2020, distributes Communion. Father Ulloa, who emigrated from Guatemala with his family in 1999, began to discover his priestly vocation during a deployment flight to the United Arab Emirates in 2001, while he was a member of the Air Force. (OSV News\/Courtesy of Father Rodrigo Ulloa)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/maryknoll-father-rodrigo-ulloa-from-soldier-to-missioner\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa: From Soldier to Missioner"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/","name":"Maryknoll Magazine","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#organization","name":"Maryknoll Magazine","url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/cropped-MKFB_Logo_Transparet1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/cropped-MKFB_Logo_Transparet1.png","width":333,"height":68,"caption":"Maryknoll Magazine"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/78b508897748b14f03af3c709940d12b","name":"OSV News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/osvnews_avatar-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/osvnews_avatar-96x96.png","caption":"OSV News"},"description":"OSV News is a national and international wire service reporting on Catholic issues and issues that affect Catholics. It is a part of OSV Publishing, a division of OSV, the largest English-language Catholic publishing company in the United States. OSV, based in Huntington, Indiana, was founded in 1912.","url":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/author\/osvnews\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5421"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5849,"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5421\/revisions\/5849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}