Hector Chavez-Perez

Grace and peace to you, St. Joseph’s Community, 

My name is Hector Chavez, and I’m honored to join the St. Joseph Catholic School family as the fifth-grade teacher this year. I was born in Mexico but was raised in the small agricultural town of Orland in Northern California, where my Catholic upbringing was rooted in tradition and community. While I always identified as Catholic growing up, it wasn’t until my undergraduate years that I truly encountered Christ in a personal way, largely through campus ministries like the Newman Center. These ignited a deep love for the faith and a desire to serve the Church. 

Graduating during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was given the unexpected gift of stillness and a chance to slow down, pray, and discern my vocation more clearly. I chose to pursue graduate studies in theology with a concentration in Church history. While I had always planned on becoming a high school teacher, my studies and prayer life gave that path a deeper purpose: I wanted not only to educate but to evangelize, sharing the rich intellectual and spiritual treasures of the Catholic tradition. Teaching has always been part of my story; all four of my sisters are educators, and I have long felt called to follow a similar path. 

After completing my master’s degree, I spent two years working in college ministry, where I mentored students, led retreats, and grew in love for sharing the Gospel. One of the highlights of that time was organizing and facilitating middle school retreats with a dedicated team at the Sacramento State Newman Center. While I primarily worked with college-aged students, those experiences reminded me of the joy and importance of forming younger hearts in faith and virtue. 

I recently moved to the Salem area to embrace this new opportunity at St. Joseph’s, stepping outside of my comfort zone. I am eager to bring my gifts to the classroom, learn from my students, and be part of a school community striving for holiness. When I’m not teaching, I enjoy playing basketball, reading theology and history books, flying kites, reading comics, and spending time by the ocean. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 

Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this new chapter, and know that I am praying for you as well. 

In Christ, 

Hector Chavez Perez Jr 

Education: 

California State University, Chico – B.A. in History and Spanish, 2020 

Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University – Master of Theological Studies, 2023