When Father Eddie de León, CMF, ran from a street fight as an 11-year-old boy on Chicago’s South Side, he had no idea that his vocation was about to begin.
Seeking refuge in his local library, he picked up a book about monastic life. As he turned the pages, he felt as though the author knew him personally. In that moment, he knew he wanted to become a priest.
Thirty-five years later, Father Eddie stood at the altar of St. Gabriel Mission, celebrating his 35th anniversary of priestly ordination, opening another book—this time, the Bible.
Over the years, his ministry has taken him far beyond anything he ever imagined. He has taught at one of the country’s leading theological institutions, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, served in campus ministry at Yale University, worked at the United Nations, and led our USA-Canada Province as provincial superior.
Yet, one of the moments that most profoundly shaped his vocation happened in an unexpected place.
When he was asked to serve at Yale, Father Eddie admits he questioned why God had sent him there. He remembers thinking that his place, as a Claretian missionary committed to serving immigrants and marginalized communities, was somewhere else.
His provincial superior at the time, Father Rosendo Urrabazo, CMF, simply replied, “Who am I to stand in the way of God’s will?”
Soon after arriving at Yale, a Hispanic family came looking for the priest who spoke Spanish.
The father explained they had driven for days from California. His son had been accepted to Yale because of his academic potential, but it would be the first time the family would leave one of their children so far from home.
“What struck me the most were his hands. They were the hands of someone who had spent years working on farms and in fields. His fingernails and fingers bore the marks of a lifetime of hard labor. “
The dad took Fr Eddie’s hands in his own hands, looked him in the eyes and said: “Please take care of my son, Father. Please take care of him.”
All I could think was, “Wow.”
That single moment transformed his understanding of ministry.
“If that had been the only thing I ever accomplished there,” he says, “it would have been enough.”
For him, it was a reminder that the Church changes lives not only through preaching or the sacraments, but also by accompanying people at the moments that matter most. The past 35 years hav been full of rewarding moments like this.
“My plan was very simple. After I was ordained, I wanted to serve in a Hispanic parish in Chicago, learn what it meant to be a pastor, and one day become a pastor myself.
But everything turned out completely differently. I was sent from one ministry to another, like a ping-pong ball. I never imagined I would end up doing all the things I have done.
That’s how I know it was the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, who was guiding me, because none of it was part of my plan. My plan was simple—very simple—and I believe I would have been happy with it. But God had something entirely different in mind.”
Today, Father Eddie continues to inspire others through teaching, preaching, and spiritual formation while pursuing a new passion at the intersection of faith, art, and theology. Having nearly completed his studies in the History of Art at the University of Oxford, he now explores how art reveals the presence of God in ways words often cannot.
Through lectures, retreats, and conversations, he helps others discover the spiritual depth found in paintings, murals, icons, and sacred art from cultures around the world, making theology more accessible through beauty and creativity.
To learn more, visit World Art + Culture Project for Systemic Change
As Father Eddie celebrates his 35 years of Claretian ministry, he looks back not on a carefully planned career, but on a life shaped by God’s unexpected invitations.
