Commitment leads friar to new skills in healthcare field

Author: Eli Pacheco

Date Published: February 17, 2026

The quest to achieve one’s highest calling rarely follows an easy path.  

Br. Raul Diaz, OFM, didn’t seek a certified nursing assistant certification out of personal desire or a natural draw to the role. Rather, he answered a call from his province, stepping up to provide a vital need for his aging fraternity.  

Embracing this challenge, Br. Raul faithfully attended clinicals twice a week for eight weeks at MiraCosta College, a 20-minute drive from his home at Old Mission San Luis Rey Friary in Oceanside, California, showing unwavering dedication and a willingness to grow beyond his comfort zone. 

“I'm not necessarily a people person, and there's no guilt in that,” said Br. Raul, a warm but quiet presence at the friary. “But that doesn't stop me from saying yes to the invitation.” 

In 2014, Br. Raul Diaz studied at the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego. He then joined St. Francis Center in Los Angeles, helping people facing homelessness and poverty, and worked at Our Lady of Victory Church. (Photo courtesy of Br. Raul) 

In 2014, Br. Raul Diaz studied at the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego. He then joined St. Francis Center in Los Angeles, helping people facing homelessness and poverty, and worked at Our Lady of Victory Church. (Photo courtesy of Br. Raul) 

Facing his challenges with faith 

For Br. Raul, saying yes involved 16 days of clinicals and intense study, a challenge for someone who once struggled academically.  

A thoughtful and soft-spoken man, Br. Raul has faced lifelong communication and hearing challenges. Prior to joining the friars, he relied on friends when ordering food at restaurants and found it challenging to express his appreciation. After working as a farmer in Oregon until age 18, he moved south, earned his GED and studied in California. His hearing problem made learning difficult until surgery on his right ear helped. 

“That's when I began to enjoy my peace,” Br. Raul said. But he still struggled academically. “It took me seven years to go through college, and I did not enjoy anything at all, anything. It was very humiliating.” 

In 2014, he attended the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego. During this time, he experienced new opportunities and later joined the team at St. Francis Center, an organization that helps homeless individuals and families with very low incomes, in Los Angeles. He also served at Our Lady of Victory Church. 

“If something challenging happens, I am not alone,” Br. Raul Diaz, OFM, said. “I am part of a team.” (Photo courtesy of Br. Raul)

“If something challenging happens, I am not alone,” Br. Raul Diaz, OFM, said. “I am part of a team.” (Photo courtesy of Br. Raul)

‘Providing for the needs of others’ 

Inspired by a deep dedication to serve his brothers and a sense of duty toward his fraternity, Br. Raul found the strength to face his uncertainty about returning to school, letting his desire to help others outweigh his apprehension.  

Although he didn't always feel comfortable in school, he still valued the community he found in his CNA studies and as part of the Order of Friars Minor. 

In healthcare, he says, “It’s exciting that you are providing for the needs of others, but it is also sometimes difficult to deal with people,” he said. “If something challenging happens, I am not alone. I am part of a team.” 

As of December 2025, Br. Raul, like Br. Edgar Alberto, OFM, from St. Clement Friary in Cincinnati, is a certified nursing assistant. It’s more than three letters to him.  

“You learn to treat patients with dignity, to demonstrate to them that they’re not alone,” Br. Raul said. “You can meet their physical needs, but also their emotional needs. There are things I’m allowed to do as a CNA, but there are also limitations.” 

Governed by nursing boards, facility policies and federal regulations, CNA responsibilities might include:  

  • Assisting residents with hygiene, mobility and basic needs. 

  • Encouraging their emotional well-being by offering conversation and presence, helping residents preserve dignity and avoid loneliness. 

  • Refraining from invasive procedures such as administrating medication. 

  • Reporting unusual patient condition changes to the supervising nurse. 

Br. Raul hasn't started serving as a CNA yet, but he is ready to provide care in a friary when called upon. Obtaining the certification gave him a sense of achievement and highlighted the benefits of teamwork. 

“I committed myself to live my vows of obedience, chastity and poverty,” Br. Raul said. “That’s an umbrella that covers all of this. I can be in a place that is comfortable, like this friary, where there is great weather and a strong community. But what happens when things don’t go my way? I’ve learned here and in the program that I can ask for help.” 

Br. Raul is grateful for the setbacks in his life and calls it a tragedy not to have that orientation in your life. 

“I’m not involved in administration, education or evangelizing,” he said. “What I do might seem very little. But it is powerful. It is beyond powerful. I made that commitment. Not only to myself, not only to God, but to the people of God. And I'm convinced that it's the most beautiful commitment I've made in my life.”