From oppression to ordination, a friar finds faith in Cuba

On Aug. 21, Br. Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, will take another step in his vocational journey when he is ordained a priest for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. His path began in an unlikely place. Despite anti-Catholic oppression in his home country, he found peace and purpose as a Franciscan friar.

(In the photo above, Br. Maikel is ordained a transitional deacon at Mother of the Americas Catholic Church in Chicago on Oct. 19, 2025. This is a stepping stone to being ordained a priest. Photo by Jesus Martinez)

Br. Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, grew up in Cuba, a country where the presence of the Catholic Church and the Franciscan Order have long been oppressed.

Despite the challenge of government restrictions on religion, Br. Maikel discovered St. Francis of Assisi. Reading about St. Francis' life inspired him to learn about the Franciscan Order.

He related to the medieval Italian saint in many ways. He too experienced a longing for God, a search for community and a troubled relationship with a father who had little regard for faith.

"I fell in love with the history of his life, all of his spirituality and his works," said Br. Maikel, 46, speaking through a translator.

Br. Maikel entered the Franciscan Order in Havana more than a decade ago. Even before beginning postulancy, he was living Francis' spirituality on his own, nurturing the faith.

In Franciscan community and ministry, he felt at home.

"I have been attracted to the Franciscan way of life. I choose to live in fraternity,"" said Br. Maikel.

A new family is formed

Right column text: His Franciscan formation (training) took him around the United States and the Caribbean. He studied in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and ministered to migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas.

Currently he serves the Latino and young adult communities, as well as the homebound, at St. Peter Claver Parish in Macon, Georgia, a ministry he will continue after ordination. Macon's Catholic community is small, augmented in recent years by a growing Latino presence. Like much of the South, it is a city filled with churches, but only three are Catholic. St.Peter Claver has emerged as a center for Latino ministry.

As his ordination day approaches, he is grateful for a new family that has welcomed him with love and care. He has no siblings; his mother is deceased and most of his relatives are still in Cuba. His brother friars and friends have walked with him throughout these years of discernment, study and ministry. Many of them will travel from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Georgia to attend his ordination.

Br. Maikel is inspired by the story of Francis' conversion. Like Francis, he encountered a difficult relationship with his dad.

"There have been moments where I tried to get close, but he didn't respond,"; he said. As a result, Br. Maikel looked to faith and his brother friars.

A grandmother's legacy of faith

Being ordained a priest and having the opportunity to preach and celebrate Mass will add another dimension to his ministry, said Br. Maikel.

"By making Christ present to everyone in the consecration, it's a way of serving an entire community,"; he said. He believes that offering the sacrament of healing in confession will also be a blessing.

While his Franciscan connection emerged largely through the study of St. Francis, Br. Maikel said much of his Catholic faith was nurtured through the example of his late grandmother, who lived through times when witnessing faith in Cuba required courage in the face of persecution. Unfortunately, this is still the case.

"Much of my Franciscan formation comes from the testimony of my grandmother. She comes from a place where the Church has been persecuted for so long. The government has many times been against us,"; he said, noting how as a priest, blessed with the example of Francis and the life of the Franciscan community, he will continue to carry on the faith his grandmother lived.

On Friday, Aug. 21, Brothers Joshua Richter, OFM, and Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, will be ordained priests at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.

On Saturday, Aug. 22, eight friars will profess solemn vows at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland. The newly professed friars are Brothers Domingo Martinez, OFM; Tyler Grudi, OFM; Kevin Hamzik, OFM; Phillip McCarter, OFM; Brian Menezes, OFM; Joan JP Perez-Lombera, OFM; Carlos Portillo, OFM; and Nathaniel Tran, OFM.

This article was originally published in The Franciscan Way, a publication of Franciscan Friars Charities, the charitable arm of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.