Welcome to wherespadre.org… The official blog of Father David Sánchez.
Father David, the oldest of two children, was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, on 25 September 1968. His parents, David Sánchez and Estervina Rodríguez, were born, raised and married in Caguas, where the family lives. He has a sister, Zoveyda, and a niece and nephew.
His sacramental background includes the following: Baptized at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Chapel in Las Carolinas, Caguas; First Communion at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Chapel, in Las Carolinas, Caguas; Confirmation at Dulce Nombre de Jesús Cathedral, in Caguas; Diaconate Ordination at Cathedral of the Assumption, in Louisville, KY (15 December 2001); Ordained a Priest at the Cathedral of the Assumption, in Louisville, KY (8 June 2002).
His education background includes the following: He attended Bairoa Adentro Elementary School, and Luis Ramos González Middle School. He graduated from José Gautier Benítez High School, in Caguas, in 1986; He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, with a BA in Psychology and Mathematics, in May 1990, and a MPH in Biostatistics, in May 1991; He graduated from St. Meinrad School of Theology, in Indiana, with a Master of Divinity degree, in May 2002. He obtained his Master of Science (Master in Ecclesial Administration and Management) from The Catholic University of America, in Washington D.C., in May 2018.
Father David was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville on 8 June 2002. His ministerial assignments include the following: Transitory Deacon at St. Francis of Assisi in Louisville, KY, 2001-2002; Associate Pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Lebanon, KY, 2002-2004; Associate Pastor at Holy Spirit Parish in Louisville, 2004-2006; Administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Louisville, 2006-2007; Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Louisville, KY, 2007-2020; and Pastor of Holy Name Parish in Louisville, 2008-2018, and in August 2020 he was appointed Pastor of The Church of the Annunciation in Shelbyville, KY; and St. John Chrysostom Mission in Eminence, KY. He has been serving as Vice-President of ANSH (National Association of Hispanic Priests, USA) since 2019.
After finishing college, Fr. David worked in the Pharmaceuticals in Puerto Rico in the Quality Control and Validation Departments. Later he joined the USARMY, where he was an officer and paratrooper. He served in Ft. Knox, KY; Ft. Monmouth, NJ; Ft. Benning, GA; Ft. Bragg, NC, and Ft. Jackson, SC.
His passion to serve the poor, lead him to be a missionary in Guatemala during the last years of the civil war in 1988 at the age of 19. He was cofounder of The Family Community Clinic, Inc., with his parishioners at St. Joseph in 2010. The mission of the Family Community Clinic is to improve the health of the medical uninsured in the Louisville Metro and surrounding areas by providing high quality free health services and wellness education to those appropriated alternatives. Father David enjoys going to the gym, movies, and hiking.
He begun this blog as part of a fundraising effort called “Save The Steeples”, to restore and repair the Twin Steeples at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Louisville, KY. In 2018 he walked 1,000 miles (1,650 Km) of St. James Camino (Way) from Le Puy, France to Santiago of Compostela, Spain to raise $100,000.00 to save the steeples. Father Sánchez was appointed pastor of The Church of the Annunciation in 2020, located in Shelbyville, KY and St. John Chrysostom Mission in Eminence, KY.
Today this blog is meant to be an online journal of his pilgrimage as a priest, in which Father Sánchez can share his journey with you. He is always in a mission to rebuild the Church. If you would like to help him in the development of THE HUB (new kitchen facilities at his parish) or a new Sound System, you can do so by going to DONATE on the menu above.