The Deacon's Bench
On Saturday, June 27, 2015, at 11 a.m., the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will ordain ten men to the priesthood for the Diocese of Brooklyn at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, 856 Pacific Street, Prospect Heights.
“These devoted men are truly a blessing to our Diocese. Their deep faith and different backgrounds will help grow and enrich our multi-cultural Church in Brooklyn and Queens,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “It is my privilege to welcome these young men to the Presbyterate of Brooklyn.”
Ordained as transitional deacons last year, the ten men successfully completed their seminarian formation. They are: Mr. Chris Bethge, Mr. Nicholas Colalella, Mr. John Gribowich, Mr. Christopher Heanue, Mr. Jose Henriquez, Mr. Daniel Kingsley, Mr. Lukasz Lech, Mr. Mark Matthias, Mr. Rafael Perez, and Mr. Alexander Piñacue.
Immediately after being ordained, the new priests will receive their parochial assignments to serve the faithful of the Diocese of Brooklyn, also known as the Diocese of Immigrants.
The Diocese of Brooklyn, the eighth largest diocese in the United States and the only entirely urban diocese in the Nation, serves the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The combined population of the boroughs stands at 4.8 million residents, of which more than 1.5 million identify themselves as Catholics.
The ten men are part of the nearly 600 Catholic men to be ordained priests for the United States in 2015. The nationwide numbers reflect an increase of 25 percent from 2014, with 100 more ordinands from last year, for a total of 595 new priests, according to a report from the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops.
Read the biographies of the future priests here.
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