The 8th Pastor of St. Helen of the Cross
Father Juan Carlos Aguirre-Borchardt was born on August 8, 1970, in Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico. He is the youngest son of Edmundo Adolfo Aguirre and Ana Delia Borchardt-Aguirre. He has two brothers, Edmundo and Manuel Francisco, and two sisters, Ma. Del Pilar (married to Ernesto Porchas) and Annie (married to Dan Greene). His older brother Luis Fernando died at the age of 17, when Fr. Aguirre was 9 years old.
He has four nieces (Paloma María, Paola Alondra, Ana Belen, Ana Cristina) and one nephew (Ernesto Marco). For more information on his family, you may visit www.clanaguirre.com.
Named after the Archbishops of Hermosillo, Msgr. Juan Navarrete and Msgr. Carlos Quintero Arce, Fr. Juan Carlos was baptized on October 4, 1970 and later confirmed by Archbishop Quintero-Arce on August 2, 1975.
His spiritual life was highly influenced by his Catholic upbringing. His brother, Luis Fernando, thaught him how to pray the rosary and attend mass.
He received his elementary education at Colegio Regis, with the Christian Brothers of LeSalle, in Hermosillo. He became a Boy Scout in 2nd grade and received his First Holy Communion on October 7, 1981.
When he was young he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, administering the family trucking business. He worked there as a boss boy, assistant mechanic and later as a manager until he was 19 years old. He attended ITESM for preparatory education.
Following his desire to be a business man, he moved to Tucson to attend college. He majored in Marketing. At the time, however, he joined the group Encuentros de Promocion Juvenil. It was during his time in the youth group that he matured his leadership skills and searched for spiritual meaning in his life. Often he visited the Blessed Sacrament asking the Lord to “show him the way.” In 1991 he began to seek spiritual counseling to discern the Will of God in his life. After months of silent struggle, he decided to meet with the Archbishop of Hermosillo, as he considered returning to Mexico to enter the seminary. He was surprised when the archbishop suggested he study in Tucson, because of the growing need for Spanish speaking priests in the area. Bishop Manuel Moreno of Tucson invited Fr. Aguirre to apply for the seminary and to put himself in the hands of the Lord.
On August 25, 1992, Fr. Aguirre entered The Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus Ohio (www.pcj.edu). There he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1995. He went on to complete a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology, with a specialization in Moral Theology and Ethics. He graduated Suma Cum Laude.
While in the seminary, he served as Head Master of Ceremonies and tutored philosophy.
In 1997, Fr. Aguirre became a member of the Global Fellows program with Catholic Relief Services. He visited Zimbabwe and South Africa to gain first hand experience with the relief agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (www.crs.org).
Fr. Aguirre was ordained a deacon on April 25, 1998. By the grace of God, he was ordained a priest by the laying of hands of Bishop Manuel D. Moreno, in St. Augustine’s Cathedral, Tucson, on June 5, 1999, consecrating his priesthood under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He celebrated his First Mass of Thanksgiving on June 6, 1999 in the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, in Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico.
His first assignment as Parochial Vicar was in St. Anthony of Padua, Casa Grande. Then in July 2000, he was transferred to Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Nogales, Arizona, were he remained a parochial vicar until June 2002. He was then transferred to St. John the Evangelist in Tucson. In the fall of 2004, bishop Kicanas appointed Fr. Aguirre as Administrator Pro Tem of St. Christopher’s parish in Marana.
On September 26, 2005 he became the Administrator of St. Helen of the Cross Parish in Eloy Arizona. On August 30, 2006 he was appointed as the 8th Pastor of this parish and was officially installed on October 13, 2006.
He values the liturgy, especially the Mass and believes it is important to pass to the next generation the values and traditions of our faith.
He enjoys writing and reading. In 2000, as a response to the call for the New Evangelization, Fr. Aguirre, wrote a course of basic theology for the laity called, “Truth Gives Freedom.” Since then he has taught over 250 parishioners in various parishes the basic doctrines of the Church in a format that stimulates discussion and participation of the students. He sees teaching as a necessary tool to promote leadership skills.
He values friendships and spending time with them. In his leisure time, Fr. Aguirre enjoys exercising in the gym, biking, swimming, listening to music and viewing movies. His favorite food is Italian. He enjoys travel and pilgrimages. His favorite places include Italy, Spain, Fatima, and Mexico. In the U.S. he enjoys visiting his brother in Colorado and his friends in Pennsylvania and Florida. He has two beagles: Toro, named after his nickname in the seminary; and Buki, named after his father’s favorite horse.
His personal favorite biblical quote is “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 24:45). He believes in “Restoring all things in Christ” (Eph 1:10) and that God’s grace is constantly at work in the community today. His frequently prays psalm 116.
Fr. Aguirre checks his own e-mail (
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