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Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Archbishop Lori announces clergy appointments, including new pastors

Archbishop William E. Lori announces the following appointments:

Rev. William Keown From Administrator, Our Lady of Victory Parish, Arbutus, to Pastor, Our Lady of Victory Parish. Effective Feb. 15.

Rev. Matthew Buening From Chaplain, Towson University Newman Center, to Pastor, Parishes of St. Matthew, Northwood, and Blessed Sacrament, Baltimore. Effective July 1.

ASSIGNED PRIEST

Rev. Brian O’Donnell, S.J. To Assigned Priest, St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, Woodstock, effective Jan. 5.

Deacon Donald Awalt To Diaconal Ministry at Stella Maris, Timonium. Effective immediately.

Deacon Edward Schaefer Extern Deacon of the Diocese of Spokane, to Diaconal Ministry at St. Mary, Hagerstown. Effective Feb. 15.

Deacon Paul Stoyell-Mulholland Extern Deacon of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to Diaconal Ministry at the Parishes of St. Philip Neri, Linthicum Heights, and St. Clement I, Lansdowne. Effective Feb. 15, 2021.

Rev. Joseph Muth From Pastor, Parishes of St. Matthew, Northwood, and Blessed Sacrament, Baltimore, to Retirement. Effective July 1.

Deacon John Sedlevicius From Diaconal Ministry in the Archdiocese of Denver to Retirement. Effective Feb. 6. 

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New Leadership Team of the Denver Province

The Redemptorists of the Denver Province recently elected a new leadership team to serve during the 2023-2026 term. Rev. Kevin Zubel, C.Ss.R. has been elected Provincial Superior; Rev. Aaron Meszaros, C.Ss.R. has been elected Provincial Vicar; and Rev. Anthony Nguyen, C.Ss.R. has been elected Provincial (Second) Consultor.

These members of the Ordinary Provincial Council will govern and manage the missionary activities of the Denver Province with four additional Redemptorists elected to the Extraordinary Provincial Council: Rev. Maurice Nutt, C.Ss.R., a mission preacher and a consultant to the Diocese of Jackson on the cause of canonization of Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA; Rev. Stephen Benden, pastor of St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church in St. Louis, MO; Rev. Binh Ta, C.Ss.R., who has been appointed Co-Director of Formation at the North American Theologate in San Antonio, TX; and Fr. Chuong Cao, Co-Director of Vocations in Houston, TX.

A diverse group, the newly elected leadership team brings new energy and enthusiasm to the Denver Province, as well as a variety of perspectives and ministerial experiences. Fluent in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, they have served in formation and parish, preaching and retreat ministries, as well as in ministries specifically targeted to the Hispanic and Asian communities.

Father Kevin Zubel , 43, was a Certified Public Accountant when he entered Redemptorist formation in 2009. He professed temporary vows in 2012 and perpetual vows in 2015, and served his transitional diaconate year at St. Alphonsus Parish in New Orleans. Father Kevin was ordained to the priesthood in 2017 and assigned to the Redemptorists’ Evangelization Initiative in the Mississippi Delta. When the ministry was disbanded in 2020, he was assigned to the Redemptorists’ Hispanic Apostolate in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Two months later, he was appointed Director of the Hispanic Apostolate. Father Kevin was elected to serve as a vocal representing the Denver Province at the XXVI General Chapter of the worldwide Congregation in October. 

Father Aaron Meszaros , 37, grew up in the historic St. Alphonsus Parish in Grand Rapids, MI, which was staffed by Redemptorists until administration of the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Grand Rapids a few weeks ago. After earning an associate degree at Grand Rapids Community College, he entered Redemptorist formation in 2007 and professed temporary vows in 2010. He professed perpetual vows in 2015, and served his transitional diaconate year at St. Alphonsus Parish in Minneapolis. Father Aaron was ordained to the priesthood in 2016 and remained at the Minneapolis parish as parochial vicar until 2019, when he was appointed associate pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in New Orleans. He was named superior of the local community in 2020. Father Aaron became the youngest member to serve on the Extraordinary Provincial Council of the Denver Province in 2018, when he was 33 years old. 

Father Anthony Nguyen, 61, fled Vietnam with his older sister and brother after Saigon fell in 1975. They settled in Southern California, and he joined the former Oakland Province in 1983. He professed temporary vows in 1986 and perpetual vows in 1991, and earned a graduate degree in music composition at Holy Cross University in Portland, OR and a graduate degree in liturgy at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. After he was ordained to the priesthood in 1992, he was assigned as parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Parish in Seattle, WA. A year later, he was appointed to Holy Redeemer Parish in Portland, OR, where he served until 2000. He returned to Berkeley to serve in Asian Ministry until 2003, when he was named Co-Director of Formation at St. John Neumann House in St. Louis. Four years later, he joined the Mission Team as an itinerant preacher based in Chicago. After one year, he was assigned to a special apostolate ministering at Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church in Santa Ana, CA, where he served until 2011. He was named director of the West Coast Mission Team based in Berkeley until it was disbanded in 2016, when he was assigned as a missionary in residence at St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Whittier, CA. Father Anthony was appointed local superior and director of the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson in 2019. 

The Denver Province of Redemptorists was established in June of 1996 when the former St. Louis, Mo., and Oakland, Calif., provinces were merged. In 2005, the Vice Province of New Orleans was consolidated under the control of the Denver Province.

The Denver Province encompasses most of the continental United States as well as parts of Nigeria and the Amazon rain forest of Brazil. More than 130 Redemptorist priests, brothers and students represent the Denver Province in the United States, staffing various parishes and operating retreat centers, a publishing house (in Liguori, MO, south of St. Louis), and the St. Clement Health Care Center (also in Liguori).

Kristine Stremel / redemptoristsdenver.org

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New priest assignments announced

Father John A. Riley, chancellor, announces the following appointments made by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, effective July 1, unless otherwise noted.

Father Gerardo Arano-Ponce , from priestly sabbatical, to pastor of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, Bucyrus-Wea.

Father Joseph Arsenault , to pastor of Holy Family Parish, Kansas City, Kansas, and St. John the Baptist Parish, Kansas City, Kansas, effective June 1, and continuing as judicial vicar, ecumenical officer, director of Sanctuary of Hope Prayer and Retreat Center and coordinating chaplain for the Sisters, Servants of Mary.

Father Nicholas Blaha , from pastor of Our Lady & St. Rose Parish, Kansas City, Kansas, to continuing as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Kansas City, Kansas, and Christ the King Parish, Kansas City, Kansas.

Father Brandon Farrar , from pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Emporia, to pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, Olathe.

Father Michael Mulvany , from priestly sabbatical, to pastor of Holy Family Parish, Eudora.

Father Gary Pennings , from pastor of Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, Bucyrus-Wea, and vicar general/moderator of the curia, to pastor of Church of the Ascension Parish, Overland Park, and continuing as co-director of the permanent diaconate. 

Father Michael Peterson , from pastor of Holy Family Parish, Alma, and Sacred Heart Parish, Paxico, to continuing as pastor of St. Bernard Parish, Wamego, and St. Joseph Parish, Flush.

Father Andrew Strobl , from providing sacramental assistance at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Shawnee, to pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Overland Park.

Msgr. Stuart Swetland , to pastor of Our Lady & St. Rose Parish, Kansas City, Kansas, and continuing as president of Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas.

Father Carter Zielinski , from parochial vicar for Christ the King Parish, Topeka, and chaplain of Hayden High School, Topeka, to pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Emporia.

Parochial administrators

Father Ratna Swamy Nannam, MSFS , from parochial vicar for Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, Topeka, to parochial administrator of Holy Family Parish, Alma, and Sacred Heart Parish, Paxico, and chaplain of Washburn University Catholic Campus Center, Topeka.

Parochial vicars

Father Edward Ahn , from providing sacramental assistance at St. Agnes Parish, Roeland Park, to parochial vicar for St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, and continuing to provide sacramental assistance and campus ministry at Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas.

Rev. Mr. Keith Chadwick , from completion of seminary formation and ordination to the priesthood, to parochial vicar for Holy Trinity Parish, Lenexa.

Rev. Mr. Luke Doyle ,  from completion of seminary formation and ordination to the priesthood, to parochial vicar for St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood. 

Rev. Mr. Thomas Maddock , from completion of seminary formation and ordination to the priesthood, to parochial vicar for Christ the King Parish, Topeka, and chaplain of Hayden High School, Topeka.

Father Balachandra Reddy Miriyala , Diocese of Nellore, from sacramental assistance at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Leawood, to parochial vicar for Church of the Ascension Parish, Overland Park.

Father Mark Ostrowski , from parochial vicar for Holy Trinity Parish, Lenexa, to parochial vicar for St. Joseph Parish, Shawnee, and continuing as chaplain of St. James Academy, Lenexa.

Father Joseph Sellas , Diocese of Cuddapah, from priestly ministry outside of the archdiocese, to parochial vicar for Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, Topeka. 

Msgr. Thomas Tank , from pastor of Church of the Ascension Parish, Overland Park, to senior parochial vicar for Holy Spirit Parish, Overland Park, and retirement from parish administrative responsibilities.

Father Thomas Aduri , to archdiocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, and continuing as pastor of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Topeka. 

Father Nicholas Ashmore , to chaplain of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park, and continuing as parochial vicar for Good Shepherd Parish, Shawnee.

Father Gianantonio Baggio, CS , from director of the office of Hispanic ministry, to reassignment by his religious order to priestly ministry outside of the archdiocese. 

Father William Fisher , from pastor of Holy Family Parish, Kansas City, Kansas, and St. John the Baptist Parish Kansas City, Kansas, to priestly sabbatical, effective June 1. 

Father Richard Halvorson , from pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Overland Park, and archdiocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, to the formation faculty of the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois.

Father Nathan Haverland , to director of continuing education and formation for priests, and continuing as pastor of Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, Topeka. 

Father Mark Mertes , to moderator of the curia, and continuing as pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Kansas City, Kansas.

Father Donald Rank, OFM Cap. , from parochial vicar of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Lawrence, to reassignment by his religious order to priestly ministry outside of the archdiocese. 

Father Michael Scully, OFM Cap. , from pastor of Holy Family Parish, Eudora, to continuing as chaplain of the Catholic Campus Center at Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence.

Father John Riley , from parochial administrator of St. John Paul II Parish, Olathe, and director of continuing education and formation for priests, to vicar general, sacramental assistance at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Shawnee, and continuing as chancellor.  

Deacon William Scholl , from diaconal ministry at Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish, Overland Park, to diaconal ministry at Our Lady & St. Rose Parish, Kansas City, Kansas, and continuing as consultant for the archdiocesan office of social justice.

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About the author.

The Leaven is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

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What does moderator of the Curia role mean? I am unfamiliar with that. Thanks

Hi Jan, thank you for your question! The archdiocese has an explanation of this role on its website here: https://archkck.org/our-church/who-we-are/offices/administration-chancery/vg-moderatorofthecuria/ . Let me know if this helps or if you have any other questions!

Priest Assignments Announced as Part of Beacons of Light

The assignment plan for the priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is complete. The complete list of assignments is available at BeaconsAOC.org. Assignments include the pastors and parochial vicars for the Families of Parishes that were announced in December 2021.  The priest assignments will take effect July 1, 2022, upon the implementation of Families of Parishes.

This announcement is the culmination of the Priests’ Personnel Board’s many months of discernment and work. This process included input from each priest regarding his own desires, skills and (where applicable) retirement plans; an assessment of each Family of Parishes and its priest staffing and pastoral leadership needs; and a prayerful determination of best fit between priest candidates and the various Families. Recommended assignments were then submitted to Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr for his evaluation and acceptance. Regarding those Families of Parishes to be staffed by religious order priests, each order followed its own internal discernment process in recommending their priest(s). These recommendations were accepted by Archbishop Schnurr.

The assignments announcement aids leaders who are preparing for the implementation of Families of Parishes.  The first six months of 2022 is a preparatory period with trainings, workshops, and resources for priests, deacons and parish staffs. Some of this work has included:

• Beacons Roundtable Meetings: Monthly webinar series for parish leaders across the archdiocese that includes an overview of the Pastoral Planning Pathway and presentations on the Guiding Principles.
• Pastoral Planning Pathway: Fleshing out the five phases of the six principles that will guide each Family of Parishes on the path to becoming an evangelizing Beacon of Light. This work includes building a digital platform to assist Families of Parishes in the work of each phase of Beacons of Light. This platform will be aimed at assisting Families in creating their individual pastoral plans
• Liaisons: Identifying and training “liaisons” who are faithful Catholics with organizational leadership experience – who will work to assist Families of Parishes in their pastoral planning.
• Priest Formation & Training: Three important in-person conferences are planned for priests: Dan Cellucci, Executive Director of the Catholic Leadership Institute, will speak about priestly ministry and parish life in a time of chaos; Father Donald Senior will speak on the role of administrative services in priestly life; and Father James Mallon will speak on the Divine Renovation process.
• Lay Parish Leaders Formation & Training: Events planned in the spring for lay parish leaders, include a building skills workshop and a one-day retreat offered in four different locations around the archdiocese.
• Journeying Together Study Guide and Videos: These resources will help parish teams understand and reflect on the theological foundations of Beacons of Light.

More information about Beacons of Light, including frequently asked questions and downloadable resources are available at BeaconsAOC.org. A review of information from previous press releases regarding Beacons of Light:

Why is Beacons of Light happening?

• The status quo is no longer an option. At this point a comprehensive pastoral planning process is a necessity in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to garner stability and position the diocese for growth.
• Our resources are largely consumed by efforts to maintain the status quo and are spread too thin to be truly effective. In particular, our priests are stretched to the limit, and we will have fewer priests who can serve as pastors over the coming years. The number of archdiocesan priests available for assignment is projected to decline by approximately 20% over the next five years.
• Religious practice has been declining in both the United States and in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. From 2010 to 2019, sacramental practice (including baptisms, first communions, confirmations and weddings) in the archdiocese declined by 23%.
• Our current infrastructure and schedules were built for a different era. In many cases, our church buildings are grossly underutilized. In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the average Sunday Mass is about one-third full.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 44 th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with more than 450,000 Catholics, and has the fifth largest Catholic school system in terms of enrollment with more than 40,000 students.  The 19-county territory includes 211 parishes and 111 Catholic primary and secondary schools.

Recent News & Announcements

Media Release Concerning Marshall Hyzdu

Deacon William Mullaney

Media release from the archdiocese of cincinnati & moeller high school.

100 East Eighth Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 USA (513) 421-3131

Office of the Diaconate

After the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI formally implemented the renewal of the diaconate, which is an ordained ministry for men (married or single) who are called to serve the Church.

The Archdiocese of Denver provides for the formation of men in preparation for ordination.  Ordination is followed with a formal appointment by the Archbishop to diaconal ministry.

Formation and ministry adhere to the requirements defined in the “National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and life of Permanent Deacons in the United States.”

Director of Deacon Personnel Deacon Ernest Martinez [email protected]

Coordinator Amy Vigil [email protected]

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Playing the venereal game

Against cosmic melancholia, the fullness of life: bishop erik varden’s resurrection of chastity, thoughts on dignitas infinita, could edith stein be declared the next doctor of the church, ‘st. gianna is very close to our hearts’: lives changed through saint’s intercession, preparing for battle: 7 tips from st. paul on evangelization, pier giorgio frassati could be canonized during 2025 jubilee, cardinal says, 2024 legislative session recap: top priority bills, an answered prayer, new catholic high school campus coming to northern colorado, watch: deacon david hall’s priestly call thanks to his parents’ sacrifice and his mom’s honda odyssey, remembering kendrick castillo five years later, watch | how to make a palm leaf cross, watch | denver artists explain symbolism of new crucifix, sjv lay division lenten reflection | penance, watch | cathedral of the sacred heart in pueblo featured on the chair series, watch | sjv lay division lenten reflection: a time of preparation, called by the father: meet the archdiocese of denver’s newest priests.

On May 14, eight men were ordained priests at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. Get to know the archdiocese’s newest priests and where their first assignments will be.   Rewatch the full ordination Mass at  archden.org/livestream .

Father Joe Bui Parochial Vicar at St. Clare in Edwards, St. Patrick in Minturn, St. Mary in Eagle, and the Interfaith Chapels in Vail and Beaver Creek

Growing up in Vietnam, Father Joe Bui learned about the sacrifices his parents made for him and his siblings early in life. In Vietnam, sending children to school is very expensive, and Bui never took this for granted.

“At the age of six, I seriously learned how to respect and value my parents’ sacrifices by doing my best to have good behavior at school, so [as] not to put more weight on their shoulders by worrying about me,” Father Bui said.

After his youngest brother was born, Father Bui’s mother became ill and was no longer able to care for him and his siblings. This forced each of them to step up and care for the family, which meant going to buy food, making meals, walking to school and caring for their mother.

“Like many other kids who grew up in poor families, we were more mature than other kids who were our same age,” Father Bui recalled.

Through the hardships, faith was a constant. Father Bui’s family was a faithful Catholic one, and every evening they would pray the Rosary together, asking Mary to intercede on their behalf for healing for their mother and for the Lord to provide for their family.

“Praying with my family daily is how I received the Catholic faith,” Father Bui said. “Moreover, I had a good number of Catholic friends in the neighborhood, we went to school, to Mass, and to Catechism classes together.”

This foundation of faith planted the seed for Father Bui’s vocation to the priesthood, which he discovered at the age of 16. Now, as he begins his vocation, Father Bui is very much looking forward to “bringing God’s healing grace to this wounded world by preaching the Good News and by leading people to the Triune God whom they can touch and talk to” through the Mass and the Sacraments.

Father Felipe Colombo Parochial Vicar at St. Michael the Archangel in Aurora

Born and raised in Taguatinga, Brazil, Father Felipe Colombo was raised as an only child of a single mother who always taught him the importance of faith and the Catholic Church, and the fourth child of his father who always tried to be present in his life.

During his youth, he tried to stay involved and participated in youth groups at his parish, but at the same time, he had doubts and curiosity about what was out in the world. At the age of 18, he joined the Neocatechumenal Way at his parish and attended his first retreat with this formation in 2012.

“God gave me the grace to meet the Neocatechumenal Way and through it, He started a revolution in my life,” Father Colombo said.

Through his first retreat with the Neocatechumenal Way, he felt the Lord’s call for priesthood. At this point of his life, he was finishing college, had a girlfriend, and was considering marriage, but God had different plans for him. After resisting God’s call, he finally accepted it with gratitude for what the Lord was doing in his life. Later, during a different retreat for aspiring seminarians, he was chosen to be sent to the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Denver for his studies and priestly formation.

“Christ has given me the opportunity to have a new life thought the announcement of the Good News,” Father Colombo said. “I look forward to bringing to others these same Good News that changed my life, so that they may encounter Christ, as He encountered me.”

For Father Colombo, his pastor in Brazil, Father Pedro, who always encouraged his vocation, and his Neocatechumenal Way Community where he has seen miracles in his life and others, have had a huge impact on his vocation and helped him throughout the process. He is also often reminded to stay humble and listen to what God wants from him.

“St. Philip Neri used to say: ‘God do not take your hand from Philip’s head, otherwise he will be lost.’ He always reminds me to be humble and to ask God for help,” the new priest said.

Father Luis Guilherme Da Silva Mendes Parochial Vicar at Queen of Peace in Aurora

Father Luis Guilherme da Silva Mendes was born and raised in Brasilia, capital of Brazil. He was raised in a Catholic family with eight siblings.

During his teenage years, he started having strong doubts about the Church and his faith. For many years, he ran away from God thinking he had nothing to offer and that he didn’t need him. When he was 19, as he witnessed a priest ordination, Father Da Silva finally gave up and realized the Lord had been calling him and was waiting for him with unconditional love.

“The Lord touched me with his grace, he showed me that he was not asking me to give anything, but he was the one offering me unconditional love, a meaningful life, his Holy Spirit and, above all, his forgiveness,” Father Da Silva recalled.

Although the sign of the new priests laying on the floor and offering their lives to God got stuck in his head, he didn’t answer God’s call until later. Luis had plans of what his “ideal life” would be, without realizing that God had a different path for him. Once he achieved some of his personal goals with a successful career, a steady job, and a fiancé, he finally realized that his life wasn’t complete and that he was trying to escape God’s call.

Father Da Silva then recalled Luke 9: 24-25: “For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”; and immediately decided to take a different path, the one God had been saving for him.

“That was the moment I radically answered to God’s call, leaving the nets and following him in the adventure of the new evangelization, allowing him to send me wherever he wanted, to announce his love and the forgiveness that I have received in abundance,” he said.

Father Micah Flores Parochial Vicar at Most Precious Blood in Denver

Father Micah Flores joins the list of the countless faithful whose lives have been impacted by St. John Paul II’s teachings.

“The intercession and consistent presence of St. John Paul II in my life has carried me through seminary,” Father Flores said. “The clarity of his teaching, the conviction of his faith, the incredible sign of hope he has been for our world, and his fatherhood to the whole world have consistently blown me away and strengthened me to wake up every day and say ‘yes’ to Jesus.”

Born and raised in Colorado, Father Flores grew up in a Catholic family, playing sports and enjoying the outdoors while encountering God in a significant way through his creation. During his high school years at Regis Jesuit High School, he experienced a powerful encounter with God at a silent retreat. After this retreat, God planted the seed of vocation, but it wasn’t until after three years of college, at CU Boulder, that he said “yes” to the Lord’s invitation.

For Father Flores, celebrating Mass and reconciliation have been his strongest desires since he was in college.

“These sacraments have been the two greatest gifts in my life, and I cannot wait to invite everyone into these wonderful fonts of grace and share them with the world,” he said.

In addition to St. John Paul II, another important mentor in his life and vocation has been Father Brady Wagner, who helped him in his discernment to enter the seminary and was an example to him of what a joyful priest, confident in his identity as a son of God, truly is.

“I stand in tremendous gratitude for both of these holy men and many other men and women,” he said. The Body of Christ is real, and we truly do build one another up.”

Father Trevor Lontine Parochial Vicar at Spirit of Christ

Father Trevor Lontine says the greatest gifts his parents imparted to him were a devotion to the “Little Way” of St. Thérèse and a good work ethic. Indeed, these two gifts have likely served him well in his journey toward the priesthood.

Father Lontine grew up near Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Northglenn, where he and his older brother were homeschooled by his mother. He comes from a faithful Catholic family and went to daily Mass until he was in middle school.

At the age of 15, Father Lontine heard the call to the priesthood while Father Daniel Barron was preaching a homily on vocations at Holy Ghost Parish in Denver.

“Though I initially resisted, I ended up going to seminary in Nebraska for two years after graduating high school,” Father Lontine recalled. “The learning curve was steep, so I discerned out, went to college, worked for three years, and then heard the call, very powerfully and joyfully, to return to seminary in 2016.”

The second call came after a dear friend of his had died. He experienced what it was like to intercede for his friend’s soul and came to a deeper understanding of the beauty of the Church as the Communion of Saints.

“I wanted to serve that reality with my life,” he said.

Now, as enters fully into his vocation in which the Lord is calling him to serve, Father Lontine seeks to “learn to love as Jesus loves, in a way that gives God the Father complete and total worship each moment of life.

“Obviously, this is the general Christian call,” he continued, “but the priest participates in this in a particular way, as a spiritual mediator between God and his People.”

Father Lontine is thankful for the mentors and important figures who have encouraged him and helped him along the way, not least of which are his patronesses St. Catherine of Siena and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

“Each has guided me since I was a child, and have guarded my vocation carefully,” he said.

Father Miguel Mendoza Parochial Vicar at St. Cajetan in Denver

Although Father Miguel Mendoza was raised in the Jehovah’s Witness faith, the Lord had different plans for him that changed his life.

Father Mendoza grew up in Greeley, Colo. away from the Catholic Church. However, when he was 16 years old, his life changed as he felt the Lord’s call to priesthood. Through the example of St. John Paul II, Father Mendoza decided to get baptized, setting an example for his family, who also returned to the Catholic Church after seeing his conversion.

For Father Mendoza, St. John Paul II was a role model for his vocation and looks forward to celebrating the sacraments, especially the Holy Mass and confession, in his role as a priest of Christ’s Church.

“His [St. John Paul II] example of charity and fatherly love was very inspiring. Father Crispin was also very influential in my vocation. He really encouraged my calling and guided me through it all,” he said.

Father Sam Munson Parochial Vicar at St. Joan of Arc in Arvada

Father Sam Munson moved to Colorado from Chicago at the age of five. He grew up in the northern towns of Mead and Loveland.

As a junior in high school, Father Munson began to feel attracted to the priesthood when he became more serious about his prayer life.

“Prayer for me became more intimate with the Lord and I began to see him more as a friend and as a companion to my life,” he said.

However, it was while he was in college at the University of Northern Colorado when he actually heard God calling him to become a priest, during the Bear Awakening retreat his freshman year.

“When I first received it, I was frightened of the call and avoided it for several years,” Father Munson explained. “It wasn’t really until I graduated from college and began asking the Lord, ‘who am I to you?’ that I really began to accept the call. One night in particular, in Adoration, I felt his loving gaze upon me in a really deep way: ‘Sam I love you, you are mine, and I’m calling you to be my priest.’ In that moment I was no longer afraid to pursue the call!”

Along the way, Father Munson had one saint in particular who was a crucial intercessor for his vocation.

“It’s often said that we don’t necessarily choose the saints in our lives but that they choose us. This is certainly true for my life in regard to St. Gemma Galgani,” he said. “Throughout my time in seminary, St. Gemma has taught me to be less afraid of suffering, and to have a trust and constant desire for intimacy with the Lord, especially in regard to his passion and death on the cross. Since my time in seminary, I have always kept her image on my shelf and even received a first class relic of her from the Mother Superior of the Carmelite Order here in Littleton! I consider St. Gemma as a dear friend and even a sister, a beautiful woman who has been crucial in my Vocation.”

As a priest, Father Munson is most looking forward to being “an instrument of the mercy and love of the Lord, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and in spiritual direction.”

“The glory of God is man fully alive and it is my desire as a priest to show the beauty and fullness of humanity that can only come through the Church,” Father Munson concluded. “We live in a society that condemns often and forgives never; therefore, people think that their identity comes from what they do and not from who they are. It is my desire that people know to the very core of their being that they are who they are because they are made and formed in love and perfectly known by Him who knows them better than they know themselves!”

Father Michael Tran Parochial Vicar at All Saints in Denver

Father Michael Tran grew up instilled with a strong love for the Virgin Mary, due to his village’s close proximity to Our Lady of Lavang Shrine in the Quang Tri province in Vietnam. In 1798, Our Lady appeared at this site to console the persecuted Christians of Vietnam.

“I was brought up in the strong faith of our fathers and under the protection of Our Lady of Lavang,” Father Tran said. “At all times, we have a great love for Our Virgin and we trust in her intercession for us. When I was young, I used to visit the shrine with my pastor, friends, sometimes alone, every Saturday morning to pray or to attend Masses there.

At the age of nine, Father Tran heard God calling him to the priesthood when he served at the altar for the first time. However, his life would have to unfold more in order for the call to become clearer.

“The call to the vocation had not ever been clear to me until I graduated from the university and had a job,” he explained. “People around me, my pastors, my parents, some sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross, and some of my students, all encouraged me to think about becoming a priest. Finally, the death of my best friend moved me to come and talk to my vocation director at that time, and he helped me to discern God’s will in my life.”

The new priest credits St. Catherine of Siena as one of the central figures in both his life and vocation.

“St. Catherine of Siena has always been with me since I was a six-year-old boy who really wanted to receive Holy Communion,” Father Tran said. “She was also the one who helped me recognize the vanity of this life and the true meaning of life. She brings me closer to God and helps me to love people’s souls more and more. She is like a teacher, a model, and especially a mother to me.”

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‘To Build Our Brothers Up’: Companions for Christ Answers Call for Community for the Diocesan Priesthood

St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda appreciates the ministry of these ‘joyful and compassionate diocesan priests with a heart for the work of evangelization.’

MINNEAPOLIS — At a time when most bishops are facing a clergy shortage, St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s loan of three priests to another diocese seems nothing short of remarkable.

Archbishop Hebda likely would concur. When he was asked last summer by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston in the northwest corner of the state to consider praying about such a move, he said he would do so but that an affirmative answer was unlikely. 

Bishop Cozzens had specifically asked the archbishop for priests from the Companions of Christ , an association of diocesan clergy seeking to live out their priestly vocations centered around communal life. 

Founded in the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese in 1992 , the Companions differ from priests of religious orders and congregations in that they are committed to the diocesan priesthood and under the authority of their respective bishops. Bishop Cozzens was a founding member of the Companions, who currently number 32 and also serve in the Denver Archdiocese and Joliet Diocese in Illinois.

As a result of Bishop Cozzens’ request, three Companions of Christ priests will be moving to Crookston in July for three years and will be assigned to two parishes, a school and the Newman Center at Bemidji State University. They will live together in a rectory at one of the parishes.

In a Jan. 23 letter announcing his decision to approve the request, Archbishop Hebda said he had acted after consulting with the Archdiocese’s Comprehensive Assignment Board and Father Peter Williams, moderator of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Companions.

Among his considerations, he said in his letter, were the very real need in the Crookston Diocese and the fact that about half the members of the Companions in the archdiocese had moved there from other parts of the country to join the association.

“In many ways, these men have already been missionaries to our local Church,” he wrote. 

Archbishop Hebda told the Register that from his earliest days in the archdiocese in 2015, he has found the Companions to be a great blessing to him, the people of the local Church and particularly her priests. 

“Strengthened by their fraternity with their brother priests and held accountable to a daily regimen of prayer, the Companions in the archdiocese have been able to not just withstand the storms that this local Church has faced but become even more united and committed to Christ,” he said. “I have personally come to know them as joyful and compassionate diocesan priests with a heart for the work of evangelization.”

A New Chapter

Sending the Companions to a fourth diocese marks a new chapter in the association’s expansion, which has continued as more men express interest in the idea of living together and supporting each other’s attempts to grow in holiness while serving as diocesan priests. Although such an idea strikes many as a new reality, Bishop Cozzens said a look at the long history of the Catholic Church reveals that it is not new. 

“There have been many times when priests have chosen to live together to strengthen each other in approved ways of life in the Church,” he said. 

Bishop Cozzens is among those who see the Companions as having the potential to increase vocations to the diocesan priesthood. He told the Register that, in his experience, when men learn that the Companions offer a way to live communally and still be diocesan priests, they often choose diocesan priesthood. 

“I count myself among those,” he said. “I don’t think I would have been a diocesan priest if not for this opportunity to live a communal way of life.” While discerning priesthood, Bishop Cozzens said he had looked at several religious communities, including the Benedictines.

When the Companions of Christ were formed, the Crookston bishop was one of six single men who were part of Christ the Redeemer, a lay Catholic community in the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese. “We were committed to living celibacy and wanted to be able to be priests but also to be able to keep our community way of life,” Bishop Cozzens said.  

With the encouragement and help of then-Auxiliary Bishop Robert Carlson, the group wrote statutes for what became the Companions of Christ, receiving approval as a public association of the faithful under canon law.   Such associations can include clerics or laypersons or both and are considered distinct from institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life.  

Bishop Cozzens said the response to the Companions from other bishops has varied, though many are open to discerning whether the association could serve the needs of their priests. “But there are complexities to a community like this serving in a diocese that bishops also have to discern,” he said.  

Among those are coordinating assignments with the Companions’ desire to live together in community. “That’s why we have learned we have to be flexible on that sometimes,” Bishop Cozzens said, adding that members must find other ways to connect with each other if they cannot live together because, ultimately, they must be docile to the needs of their dioceses.

Denver Archdiocese 

For example, Father Brady Wagner, a Companion in the Denver Archdiocese assigned to St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, lives a communal life with the seminarians he oversees as required by his assignment. In two previous assignments, he lived alone and with another priest who was not a Companion. 

“There are a lot of other ways we try to build fraternal life,” he said. For him, that means getting together for weekly lunches with two other Companions who teach at the seminary and, on Saturday nights, going to different Companion households for weekly “Lord’s Day” gatherings to share a meal and prayer. 

In the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese, Archbishop Hebda said he and the priest assignment board generally try to satisfy the desire of the Companions to live in community. Even so, he continued, “I have been impressed and grateful for their flexibility when that is not possible, always putting the needs of the archdiocesan Church ahead of their own.” 

Another challenge Companions may face is the perception that they are separating themselves from other priests in the diocese. However, Father Williams said, “We try not to stand out. We are brothers among brothers. ... We invite non-Companion priests to our Saturday evening dinners. We’re trying to be inclusive, open, to build our brothers up.” 

Bishop Cozzens added that Companions try their best to be actively involved in the wider presbyterate and to be friends with others.

“Overall, in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, I think they have done that well. Companions have even had nonmembers live with them or be part of their fraternal groups or come to meals at homes. They also try to maintain friendships with priests who are not members.” 

Desire for Community

He said he thinks diocesan priests who do not belong to the Companions often are very good at finding community. Some belong to priest support groups or Jesus Caritas fraternities, groups of five to seven priests who meet monthly for Scripture sharing, contemplative prayer before the Eucharist and sharing about their lives. 

The Companions differ from these in that they seek to live together when possible, hold each other accountable to a set of ideals and adhere to a spirituality that supports and strengthens the members. The ideals are a strong sense of priestly consecration, a readiness to obey, a chaste heart and life, an orientation to evangelical poverty, a delight in and commitment to priestly fraternity, a zeal for the good of souls and a mind well-trained and penetrated by the truth of the Gospel. Members also commit to a daily Holy Hour with each other before the exposed Blessed Sacrament and aim to pray the Divine Office together whenever possible. 

Stephen White, executive director of The Catholic Project, which in 2022 and 2023 released highlights and insights from the largest national study of Catholic priests in more than 50 years, told the Register that one of the study’s interesting anecdotal findings was the desire of younger priests to build community with other priests. This often led them to intentionally form support groups. By contrast, older priests, he said, tended to be less interested in the idea, seeing it more as an aspect of life in a religious community. 

The national study, which elicited responses from 131 bishops and 3,516 priests and involved in-depth interviews with more than 100 priests, found that priests overall are doing well and that they reported significant levels of well-being.

However, younger priests showed more signs of burnout. Additionally, the study indicated diocesan priests were doing less well than those in religious communities. Another finding of the study was that priests draw much of their support from lay friends (93%), followed by family (88%), parishioners (87%) and fellow priests (73%). 

The interest of seminarians and younger diocesan priests in living a communal life as expressed by participants in The Catholic Project study is confirmed by the Companions’ own experience. 

Fraternal Friendships

In working with first-year students at St. John Vianney Seminary, Father Wagner said he has noticed a keen interest in developing fraternal relationships in the brotherhood of priests. 

“I think there is a deep longing among the men to not want to be alone and to live this life together with brother priests,” he said, adding that many have had positive experiences of friendship and living in strong communities at college Newman Centers and through the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). “The thought of celibacy generally leads to a fear of loneliness and wanting to figure out ‘What’s a way I can live this where I’m not alone?’” 

Father Williams, who was a priest for five years before joining the Companions of Christ, said that as a pastor and vocations director he would meet young men who were well-formed in their faith and hearing a call to priesthood but were afraid of being overwhelmed and isolated as priests. 

“What I found was that even the presence of the Companions in our archdiocese would help them to take the step in the seminary,” he said. The positive example “of diocesan priests living intentional community allayed initial fears that might have prevented them from stepping toward seminary.” 

Archbishop Hebda told the Register he can understand why the Companions model is attractive to seminarians and young priests, as it holds out the possibility of Christ-centered relationships to support and sustain them as they face the increasing demands and expectations placed upon them as priests. 

“Seeing the consistent fruits that they bear to this day,” he said, “I am convinced that the establishment of the Companions of Christ more than 30 years ago was a work of the Holy Spirit.”

This story was updated after posting.

• Companions for Christ
• diocesan priests

Judy Roberts Judy Roberts is a journalist who has worked for both the secular and Catholic press. In addition to the Register, she has written for Legatus Magazine, Franciscan Way and Our Sunday Visitor, and is a former religious books reviewer for Publishers Weekly. She also blogs about living more serenely in a busy world at quietkeepers.com .

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