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November
7, 2005 
VOL.
43, NO. 19Oakland,
CA
Father Baraan
is new administrator
at Union City parish
Before Father Geoffrey Baraan became a priest, he was
a banker and counselor, roles that helped him understand the many needs
and concerns of the people to whom he now ministers as the newly appointed
parochial administrator at St. Anne Parish in Union City.
The 45-year-old native of the Philippines was enrolled in a Franciscan
seminary in Lipa City when he moved with his family to the U.S. in 1979.
The fifth of nine children, he worked for the next 10 years to help support
his family before resuming his seminary education. “That was a good
thing,” he said of his years in the workforce, “because I
was not ready to be ordained early.”
“It [the world of business] does challenge you and helps you to
grow and discover your strengths and limitations. So meeting the people
in that environment was really a wonderful gift for me.”
He entered St. Joseph College Seminary in Los Altos in 1990 and completed
his studies at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park. Oakland Bishop
John Cummins ordained him to the priesthood in 1997 and he began serving
as parochial vicar at St. Augustine Parish in Pleasanton. Later he was
appointed parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Pinole and then as parochial
administrator at St. Ignatius Parish in Antioch in 2001
There he experienced what it was like to head a faith community. His most
satisfying moments, he said, were presiding at the Eucharist, baptizing
children and seeing how the sacrament inspires those who witness it, and
visiting the sick and homebound.
He also learned how to deal with parishioners who might have disagreed
with some of his decisions. “It is hard to please everybody,”
he said. “But you have to do what is good for the whole parish.”
“I believe that when God sends you somewhere, he will be with you.
He will give you the right wisdom and energy.”
The priest felt that presence when he reached out to a survivor of clergy
sex abuse who came to St. Ignatius one Sunday morning in 2003. He welcomed
the man, who said he had been abused by a former pastor many years earlier.
The gesture had a profound impact on the survivor, who attended Mass and
received the Eucharist for the first time in 16 years.
Father Baraan brushed aside the significance of his role in what happened.
“That was the work of the Holy Spirit using us,” he said.
“It was a good moment for the Church and for this parish to be able
to do that, to welcome someone who was lost, someone who was in need of
love and support.”
As the priest moved from Antioch to his new assignment, he expressed gratitude
for the “wonderful journey” which St. Ignatius parishioners
and staff provided. “That is where I started (as a pastoral leader).
I learned so much from them. I was surrounded by a gifted staff. I was
very lucky, very blessed by the experience.”
Now settling into his new parish home, Father Baraan is looking forward
to the new experiences that await him. “God is the foundation of
my ministry. I plan to follow him with my whole heart.”
Father Geoffrey Baraan
