THE LITTLE GIRL TOLD her mother:
“I want to go to Jesus University.”
Anna Hernandez was puzzled. After all, her daughter, Isabella Aliah, was only 4.
But Hernandez quickly realized what Isabella meant: She wanted to attend St. Justin Martyr Catholic School, which serves K-8 students from Anaheim and surrounding communities.
GATHERING FOR A GROUP PHOTO AT ST. JUSTIN MARTYR SCHOOL IN ANAHEIM, FR. SERGIO RAMOS STANDS WITH 10 OF HIS NIECES AND NEPHEWS. BACK ROW, FROM LEFT: VIOLETA COMPARAN, SECOND GRADE; ISABELLE MARTINEZ, FIFTH GRADE; ABIGAIL MARTINEZ, SEVENTH GRADE. FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT: JIMENA COMPARAN, TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN; MIRIAM CHAVEZ-RAMOS, TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN; AARON CAMARILLO, KINDERGARTEN; MATTHEW CAMARILLO, FIRST GRADE; JAMES MARTINEZ, TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN; ROSELYN MALDONADO, KINDERGARTEN; ISABELLA HERNANDEZ, FIRST GRADE. NOT SHOWN: ISSIAH MANUEL MALDONADO, ON A FIELD TRIP. PHOTO BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Hernandez’s uncle, Fr. Sergio Ramos, is pastor of St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church – which makes Isabella, now a first grader, his great-niece (he is also her godfather).
It may not be that unusual for a pastor to have a relative or two attending the same parish school he serves. But Fr. Sergio may have set some sort of record: He now has 11 great-nephews and great-nieces—seven girls and four boys—attending St. Justin Martyr.
DURING A CLASSROOM VISIT AT ST. JUSTIN MARTYR SCHOOL IN ANAHEIM, FR. SERGIO RAMOS LAUGHS WITH STUDENTS AS SEVERAL OF HIS NIECES AND NEPHEWS WAVE.
“I didn’t realize how many there were!” Fr. Sergio said with a laugh. “I never expected this.”
GROWING NUMBERS
Just as that number has swelled since 2020, when Fr. Sergio, a priest for 27 years, arrived at St. Justin Martyr, so has attendance. The school is one of five guided by Pax Christi Academies, a program the Diocese of Orange established in 2024 to reverse declining enrollment in some of its more challenged Catholic schools.
St. Justin Martyr and the other schools in the network — St. Anne, St. Barbara, and St. Joseph, all in Santa Ana, and La Purísima in Orange — are under a new governance model led by a board of directors focused on fundraising to make sure that any student, regardless of his or her family situation, can obtain a top-quality Catholic education.
The program has been, well, a godsend. St. Justin Martyr School, which opened in 1959, has the highest enrollment of the five Pax Christi Academies-run schools, with more than 270 students. There were 219 students in 2020 when Fr. Sergio arrived.
For the first time in many years, St. Justin Martyr has a waiting list for some classes, he said.
A MOMENTOUS MOMENT
Born in Mexico, Fr. Sergio’s family came to Southern California when he was 16. He attended Valley High School in Santa Ana but dropped out to work to support his family. At age 19, he attended the 1989 World Youth Day, a landmark Catholic youth rally held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, that attracted more than half a million young people. Pope John Paul II presided over the closing vigil. The pope’s exhortation, “Do not be afraid to give your life to Christ,” inspired Fr. Sergio to join the priesthood. He spent three years as a missionary before joining Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Newark, N.J.
Redemptoris Mater seminaries are international, diocesan missionary seminaries associated with the Neocatechumenal Way, approved by the Holy See to train priests for the “New Evangelization.” These seminarians prepare diocesan missionary priests who are available to be sent by their bishop anywhere in the world, particularly to places in need of evangelization.
Fr. Sergio served eight years in Washington, D.C. as a parochial vicar before coming to Orange County in 2009. His previous priest assignments here include Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, La Purísima, St. Vincent de Paul in Huntington Beach, St. Barbara and Our Lady of Fatima in San Clemente.
NEW EDUCATIONAL MODEL
Pax Christi Academies was designed to be a new model for Catholic education. Leaders of Pax Christi work in partnership with church leaders. Pax Christi leaders focus on education, where every child is provided the opportunity to encounter Christ, flourish, prosper and achieve academic excellence. The shift in governance allows the church clergy to focus on continuing to strengthen the faith of their parish communities, knowing they are supported by a team of leaders and board members who are committed to educating children with the highest level of Catholic faith-based academics.
“Pax Christi Academies has worked very well — I’m very happy with it,” said Fr. Sergio.
Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Freyer said Fr. Sergio and his family are great examples of living out the Catholic faith.
“They want to ensure that the next generation falls in love with Jesus and grows in knowledge of Him, so they have committed to giving their family members a Catholic education,” Bishop Freyer said. “With the generous financial assistance from Pax Christi Academies, what may have seemed impossible is now a reality for the Ramos family and many others.”
Here are all his great-nephews and great-nieces who attend St. Justin Martyr School:
Parents: Anna (niece) and Jorge Hernandez
Isabella Aliah, first grade
Parents: Juan (nephew) and Ari Comparan
Violeta Comparan, second grade (just celebrated her First Communion); Jimena Comparan, kindergarten
Parents: Lorena (niece) Maldonado and David Martinez
Abigail Grace Martinez, seventh grade
Isabelle Aurora, fifth grade (wants to become a religious sister)James Raphael, kindergarten
Parents: Alvaro (nephew) and Silvia Maldonado
Isaiah Maldonado, fourth grade (wants to be a priest)
Roselyn, kindergarten
Parents: Brenda (niece) Ramos and Alexander Chavez
Miriam Chavez-Ramos, kindergarten
Parents: Jocelyn (niece) Miramontes and Daniel Camarillo
Matthew Anthony Camarillo, first grade
Aaron Angelo Camarillo, kindergarten