Meet Fr. Filiberto!

TRANSCRIPT OF FULL INTERVIEW [ENGLISH]

Did you grow up in a Carmelite parish or school?
No. The parish where I grew up is called Our Lady of Candelaria, whose feast day is celebrated on February 2nd, the day of the Presentation of the Lord. Although the church is diocesan, it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the parishioners have great devotion to the Mother of God.

If not, how did you come to Carmel?
It was through a vocational retreat that a nurse friend invited me to in Mexico City. The funny thing is, in the end, my friend couldn’t go. So I arrived at Casa del Carmen on my own, and once I started my spiritual retreat, I knew that God was calling me to be part of the Carmelite life.

Did you discern with any other orders?
For a while I was discerning in diocesan life, but I realized that I had a calling to religious life living in community.

If so, what drew you to Carmel?
When I entered my vocational retreat, I became aware of the various ministries of the Carmelite order, including high schools, parishes, hospitals, and bringing the word of God to prisons. This last one interested me the most, since before entering religious life I worked in prison ministry for several years, and that’s what drew me to wanting to belong to the Carmelite order.

Had you always wanted to live life as a Religious or when did you first begin thinking about it?
Yes, ever since I was little, after making my first communion, my dream was to become a priest. I remember starting out as an altar server because I enjoyed helping at Mass.  Likewise, the pastor of my parish always inspired me to want to be like him. He was always attentive and close to the people.

What was your Carmelite Journey – where did you begin your discernment journey with the Carmelites and where did you do your formation and internship?
After completing my vocational retreat at “Casa del Carmen,” I began my formation process in Chicago for a year. There I had the opportunity to attend classes at CTU (Catholic Theological Union), where I took several courses while waiting to begin my novitiate in Middletown, New York. After a year in my novitiate, I moved to Whitefriars Hall in Washington, D.C., where I began my theological studies. After another year, I had the opportunity to do my internship at one of our Carmelite schools, Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona, where I worked the first year in the Campus Ministry Office and the second year teaching Religion to freshmen and sophomores. Once my internship was finished, I returned to D.C. to continue my studies for a Master of Divinity degree.

Along that journey, who were the most influential people – the ones that you remember being a support to you through good and difficult times of that journey?
There have been several Carmelite brothers who have positively influenced my vocational journey. For example, Mario Loya, Joe Atcher, Brother Daryl Moresco, Quinn Conners, Nepi, and other brothers who have been part of my formation.

Do you recall any moment(s) during your journey that you experienced a feeling of “I have made the right choice and am exactly where I am supposed to be”?

Yes. During the first week of my novitiate, I felt that God had a place reserved for me in the Carmelite order. I said, “I feel so good here. I feel that this is the right place where God and Our Lady of Mount Carmel have called me to follow my vocation with joy and love.”

How/When did you begin writing Icons?

It was in 2018 during my novitiate. One day, I saw that Brother Daryl had some Byzantine icons hanging in his office. I was very struck by the saints depicted; they were Carmelite saints and the prophet Elijah. At that moment, I learned that Brother Daryl had “written” (that’s the technical term for painting an icon) those icons. So I became interested in learning more about Byzantine iconography while I was in my novitiate year. Over time, I attended workshops that helped me continue practicing the technique, both in drawing the lines in pencil to depict the faces, hands, and garments, and in learning which paints to mix and how to pray with the icons during the process of creating them. Saint John Paul II once said: “Just as the reading of material books allows for an understanding of the living word of the Lord, so too the icon allows access, through sight, to the mysteries of salvation.” (John Paul II, Duodecimum saeculum).

Talk about your process for writing Icons. (There is an exciting project in the works about this question, so subscribe to our YouTube Channel to stay informed!)
The icon is, so to speak, an open window to the invisible world. It is a window open to transcendence, to that celestial world that it seeks to make present in the frescoes and in the easel icons. I believe that the icon is made for liturgy and catechesis; that is, for prayer and for doctrine.

The Process:
The creation of a Byzantine icon is a traditional spiritual and technical process that includes key steps such as preparing the support (wood and gesso), drawing or “sketching,” applying the proplasma (base color), highlighting, gilding with gold leaf, and the final varnishing.
The detailed steps include:
Preparation of the support: Preparing the wood with layers of gesso and glue (levkas).
Sketching: Drawing the outline following traditional canons.
Gilding: Application of gold leaf to represent divine light.
Proplasma: First layer of base color, both for garments and flesh tones.
Highlighting: Technique of applying highlights with a fine brush to illuminate from dark to light.
Final Lines: Details in red and white (or blue touches in the flesh tones) to add vibrancy.
Inscription and Varnishing: Inscribing the name of the saint and applying a protective varnish.
Blessing: Final consecration of the icon.
This process is called “writing” because the icon is not painted, but rather considered a “writing of the divine Word” in images.

How do you feel you live Carmel in your everyday life and interactions?
To live in Carmel is “to live in service to Jesus Christ.” Being a Carmelite is not just about thinking of becoming a priest as a final achievement. For me, being a Carmelite friar is about being a brother who experiences the joy of living and embracing spirituality in all its dimensions. Living this spirituality means understanding what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, in the Beatitudes. It means understanding that we are part of Christ and that it is He whom we serve. Where? With the poor, the oppressed, the imprisoned, the immigrants. Also, by bringing the good news to young students, to the churches where people joyfully seek out that friar who is close to the Mother of Christ, the Virgin Mary. Talking with a young person, a mother, a father, an elderly person, is about bringing the joy and presence of Christ and Mary.

If you could say anything to a young man discerning a religious life in Carmel, what would you say to help them discern if Carmel is the path for them?
I would tell them first: The simple desire to seek God’s will is already a sign that the Holy Spirit is working in your heart.

Carmel is a relationship of love with God. It is for those who feel a deep desire for prayer, silence, and friendship with Christ. It is about loving the world from the heart of God.

To discern, I would suggest looking at three things:

1. Your relationship with God
Carmel thrives on prayer. If silence brings you closer to God, that can be a sign.

2. The inner desire (not just a fleeting emotion)
God speaks with gentle persistence, not with pressure.

3. Freedom and peace
A true vocation brings peace.
It doesn’t feel like an obligation, but like an invitation.

Don’t be afraid to give God time.
Discernment isn’t resolved in weeks, but by walking with Him.

Practical advice:
Talk to a spiritual director
Visit a Carmelite monastery or community
Read St. Teresa of Ávila or St. John of the Cross
Ask Our Lady of Mount Carmel to guide you

And finally:

If God is calling you to Carmel, you will be happier there than you can imagine.