Hello, I’m John! I’m a Filipino-American Episcopal seminarian, lay leader, and overall nerd who is a Postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Diocese of California. seeking to explore the vastness of creation through the experience of being a queer, nerdy, and neurodivergent wayfarer.

Academics

---

I received my undergraduate education at San José State University—a public institution part of the California State University (CSU) system—majoring in Humanities with a Concentration in Religious Studies and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in the same, Magna Cum Laude.

Courses such as Arts and Religion, Middle Eastern Traditions, Philosophy of Religion, and Water and Culture among others brought me to a deeper engagement and appreciation of the intersection between culture, sociology, philosophy, theology, and politics.

Beyond undergraduate studies, I have also engaged in continuing education through Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) with their Center for Anglican Learning and Leadership (CALL), which are provided online and asynchronously. Previous courses I have taken through them are: Facing Choices: Ethics in the Anglican Tradition and Pastoral Care with Marginalized Communities.

INTERESTS & HOBBIES

---

I’m a devotee of Tolkien and Middle-earth, frequently rereading Tolkien’s various works and letters alongside rewatching the extended editions of Jackson’s film adaptations. On occasion, I play Dungeons & Dragons, though more often through a one-shot and rarely a campaign.

An avid video gamer, I primarily play on my desktop PC and Xbox Series X, though I also own a Nintendo DSi, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Concerning genre, I gravitate toward strategy, roleplaying, historical, and open world titles; in particular, the Crusader Kings and The Sims franchises alongside Minecraft and Team Fortress 2 have amassed a considerable amount of playtime throughout the years.

Ever since childhood, I have been a LEGO builder and collector, amassing a considerably body of sets both assembled and disassembled for their parts. On occasion, I construct custom builds known in the LEGO community as MOCs (My Own Creations); in the past, I have built churches and scene recreations from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

FAITH & SPIRITUALITY

---

Above all these, my deepest life-long passion is theology—from queer theology to liturgy, radical theology to patristics, and liberation theology to Christology.