In photo above, newly ordained Father Edgar Lozano and Fr. Ivan Franco pose with Bishop Jaime Soto, Auxiliary Bishop Rey Bersabal and Bishop Emeritus William K. Weigand.
Bishop Jaime Soto and the Diocese of Sacramento welcomed two men into its priestly fold on June 7 during an ordination Mass in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Simply said, there was great joy in that city, to borrow words from the Acts of the Apostles for this momentous occasion. Father Ivan Franco and Father Edgar Lozano spoke with Catholic Herald magazine prior to their ordination to share their vocation stories and offer candid insights into their respective journeys to God and the sacrament of holy orders.
Father Edgar Lozano
Originally from Zacatecas, Mexico, Father Edgar, 34, remembers a childhood steeped in the Catholic faith and his Mexican roots. Surrounded by faithful grandparents, parents and two siblings, the family honored many faith traditions and practices before moving to Sacramento in 2004 when Edgar was 14. They are parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
“I wasn’t very close to my Catholic practice then,” Father Edgar concedes of those first years in a new country, navigating high school and teen years. However, an invitation to a Cursillo retreat around age 20 proved to be providential.
“I was forced to go, really,” he says with a hint of disdain that soon melted away with his very next words. “This was when my calling happened,” he believes, softening his heart on the mandated retreat in favor of recognizing the Holy Spirit tapping on his shoulders.
“I was exposed to the Blessed Sacrament,” Father Edgar recalls and wonders if it was that moment or another but knowing well that “something at the retreat sparked something.” He knew he needed to “keep moving into the Church.”
“I wanted to know more, and I wanted to ‘live’ that moment again,” he expresses, relating how every time he is in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, he thinks of that Cursillo encounter and “that peace.”
He joined the Knights of Columbus and launched his parish involvement to the stars. Brother Knights recognized his young age and pegged him immediately as a potential inspiration for the youth group, too.
“I just wanted to be as close to the Lord as I could,” Father Edgar professes, signaling a strong leaning-in to a yet- unconfirmed vocation.
“I remember this well,” Father Edgar begins, telling of his desire to “do something different for Lent.” Attending Sacramento City College, he vowed to himself to visit the Blessed Sacrament once a week for a holy hour. He admits, “I didn’t know what to do! It was too long.” Yet, his time with the Lord grew — two times a week, then three times a week.
“I worked in a machine shop and it was very loud,” Father Edgar says, pointing to respite found before the Blessed Sacrament after work.
“I noticed my time with the youth group increased and I became Grand Knight,” Father Edgar continues, drawing a direct line to the grace poured out from time spent with the Lord, before the Blessed Sacrament.
“I had been thinking about seminary … a vocation to the priesthood for about five years,” Father Edgar acknowledges before taking the leap in 2017. “I wasn’t sure, but it had been in the back of my head,” he adds, conceding a fear and wondering if matrimony might have been his calling.
“I did my first year, and I loved it,” Father Edgar recalls, sensing that the signs and promptings of the Holy Spirit are not always overt but possibly manifest as subtle indicators along the way.
“The Lord gave me clear signs that this vocation is for me, and I feel great,” Father Edgar says of his years of formation and study at Mount Angel Seminary from 2017 to 2025. He earned both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in divinity at Mount Angel. His pastoral year assignment was at St. Patrick Parish in Grass Valley in 2022. He was ordained to the transitional diaconate in June 2024 in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.
“The responsibility of a soul … It’s a huge responsibility,” Father Edgar conveys, refusing to take it lightly and instead pointing to “the main goal, it should be to become a saint … to guide people in the right ways.”
“I am not worthy to receive such a gift,” Father Edgar says, deferring humbly to the calling. “At the same time, I am happy ... happy to help people, to celebrate Mass and to offer the sacrament of reconciliation. To seek forgiveness is to cleanse the soul. It is good for humanity and it helps us configure our hearts, bringing us closer to Jesus.”
Father Ivan Franco
Born in Chico and raised in Willows at St. Monica Parish, Father Ivan, 37, recalls his “cradle Catholic” youth and Hispanic heritage. His parents immigrated from Mexico and created a solid Catholic home life inspired by charismatic retreats and regular faith practice.
“I remember going to Mass in Orland, Maxwell, Chico and Willows” he says, admitting an early intrigue with the holy men behind the altar. “I wondered about them,” Father Ivan shares, revealing a young boy’s curiosity with their “total dedication to God.”
Other standout memories include times when young Ivan and his two sisters would accompany his parents to charismatic retreats in Sacramento, Stockton and Fresno.
“I think that is when my inclination and prayer life started,” Father Ivan deduces of the early albeit subconscious attraction to the priesthood. Thinking back on his stealth exits from praise and worship gatherings at these retreats, he now sees the workings of the Holy Spirit. In his quest for a quiet place, he happened upon the appointed room for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He went back several times.
“I would go there, sit down and just pray on my own,” he discloses of these moments and times to “talk with the Lord with my own words.”
But the road to the priesthood is not always a direct route. In middle school, young Ivan imagined a career as a police officer. When a career assessment tool showed that he might be a pastor or a teacher, he retook the test giving greater attention to traits and duties of law enforcement.
By high school, Father Ivan shares, “I drifted a bit. I went to Mass. After graduation, I got a job at a casino as a security guard and enjoyed my car. Then I completely drifted away and used my swing shift schedule as an excuse to not go to Mass.”
“I was just going with the world,” he acknowledges, that is until his supervisor asked a few questions.
“What are you going to do with your life? Do you see yourself as a security guard the rest of your life?” Father Ivan says, repeating the words that would mark a turning point.
“I wanted to answer with an authentic response from the heart,” Father Ivan shares before restating his answer from nearly two decades ago. “I don’t know why but I feel like I’m called … I feel like I want to be a priest,” he replied to his casino boss.
Sharing his priestly instinct out loud marked the beginning of the persistent nudging by the Holy Spirit, yet this young 20-something retreated to college, dating and uncertainty.
“I didn’t know what to do with my life,” Father Ivan says, reflecting on a night of homework and another prompting towards a dusty Bible his mom had given him. Asking the Lord to show him, lead him and prompt him, he opened the Bible.
“I read the first chapter of Wisdom, and the second,” Father Ivan explains of the verses imparting that a God-fearing man is at peace. He began to read the Bible more, took days off to go to daily Mass and made time for holy hours late after work. Thoughts of the priesthood lingered.
After some additional schooling and a long wait before a “yes” from the diocesan Office of Vocations,, Father Ivan’s discernment resulted in an acceptance at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. From 2014 to 2018, he worked to complete his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religious studies before moving to St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park.
“My pastoral experiences were at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Vallejo and St. John the Baptist Parish in Chico,” Father Ivan says, noting the positive effects each community engraved on his discernment experience. He also spent a semester in Mexico City. In November 2024, he was ordained to the transitional diaconate. He earned a master’s degree in divinity in May 2025 from St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park.
“As a shepherd, you give yourself completely,” Father Ivan mentions, pondering his priesthood and the images most often on his mind. “The image of the crucifix...that’s the core of it. Being like Christ … Christ crucified,” Father Ivan says. “Encountering Christ, through my ministry, I want to bring people closer to Christ.”