Father Cristian Cardenas

Rev. Cristian Camilo Cárdenas Aguirre

Rev. Cristian Camilo Cárdenas Aguirre was born on March 13, 1991, in Ibagué - Tolima, Colombia. He is the youngest son of María Gladys Aguirre and José Santos Cárdenas (deceased). At the age of sixteen, he entered the Missionary Seminary of the Holy Spirit in La Ceja, Antioquia, where he pursued his philosophical and theological formation. He completed his final year of theological studies at María Inmaculada Major Seminary in Ibagué.

On August 4, 2016, he was ordained to the diaconate, and nine months later, on May 27, 2017, he was ordained to the priesthood through the laying on of hands by Archbishop Flavio Calle Zapata, Archbishop of Ibagué - Tolima

Fr. Cristian has pursued an extensive academic formation. He holds bachelor's degrees in Philosophy, Religious Education, and Theology from the Catholic University of the East (Universidad Católica de Oriente) in Rionegro, Antioquia. He also earned a degree in Psychology from the Catholic University of the North (Universidad Católica del Norte) in Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia. He is currently completing a Master's degree in Psychopedagogy at the Pontifical Bolivarian University (Pontificia Universidad Bolivariana) in Medellín.

His ongoing professional development includes participation in the National Course for Exorcists organized by the Colombian Episcopal Conference, as well as graduate-level diploma programs in parish administration, clinical psychology, virtual learning environments, university teaching, community psychology, grief counseling, and the strengthening of healthcare professionals' competencies in addressing substance use disorders through the University of the Andes in Bogotá.

Throughout his priestly ministry, Fr. Cristian has served in a variety of pastoral leadership roles, including Parochial Administrator of María Rosa Mística Parish, Parochial Vicar at San José Obrero and Perpetuo Socorro Parishes in Ibagué, and Pastor of St. Helena Parish in Roncesvalles, Tolima. He has also served as Director of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Ibagué, Regional Youth Ministry Delegate, member of the National Youth Ministry Team of the Colombian Episcopal Conference, and member of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

In addition to his pastoral ministry, Fr. Cristian has dedicated himself to education, teaching at the Institute of Theology and Pastoral Studies of the Archdiocese of Ibagué and at the Military School (Colegio Militar Inocencio Chincá), where he also served as chaplain.

Committed to evangelization in the digital age, Fr. Cristian is a member of the Holy See’s Digital Missionaries initiative. Since 2022, he has carried out his priestly ministry in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, serving as Parochial Vicar at Holy Rosary Parish and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Jacksonville. He currently serves as Parochial Vicar at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in Orange Park, where he is devoted to pastoral care, faith formation, and evangelization.