Ordination Class of 2006 - New Catholic Priests include twins, converts and some surprises

USCCB ^ | May 1, 2006

[NYer]

WASHINGTON (May 1, 2006)—The Ordination Class of 2006 includes a set of twins, grandfathers, former Protestant ministers, men of varied ethnic and national backgrounds, the father of a priest and the son of a deacon.

The twins, James and Joseph Campbell, 26, the youngest of a family of 13 children, will be ordained for the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, with their classmate Marc Solomon. James studied at St. Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and Joseph at North American College, Rome.

Another seminarian, Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., 35, who will be ordained a Jesuit priest, is also a twin and has an identical twin who also is a Jesuit.

Some ordinands are in their mid-twenties, such as John Paul Erickson, 26, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Jason Vidrine, 24, of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. Others are well into second careers, such as John Dant, 66, of the Archdiocese of Louisville, who was a vice president for air operations for United Parcel Services, and Thomas Bartolomeo, 69, of the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, whose career included work as a business owner, educator and candidate for political office.

A few have come into the church from other religions. Steven Rogers, 49, of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, grew up a Southern Baptist. A few were in the ministry. Jeffrey Hopper, 48, of the Louisville Archdiocese, was an Episcopal priest. Leonard Klein, 60, of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, who is married, is being ordained a priest after 30 years in the Lutheran ministry.

Family relationships influenced some. David Axtmann, 61, of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has a son who already is a priest. Joseph Pins, of the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa, found himself called to priesthood when he attended his father’s ordination to the deaconate.

The newly ordained span a number of previous careers. James Duffy, MD, S.J., 39, who will be ordained for the Society of Jesus, is board certified in internal medicine and still practicing medicine. Steve Roberts, 44, who will be ordained for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, is an obstetrician/gynecologist. William Dunn, 62, of the Archdiocese of Boston, practiced internal medicine and was on the full-time faculty of two medical schools.

Several are attorneys, including Jesuit Kevin O’Brien, 39, James Brady, 40, of the Diocese Lafayette, Louisiana, and Harold Reeves of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Michael Barry, 61, Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, was a U.S. Foreign Service officer for 24 years. Brian Needles, 51, of the Archdiocese of Newark, was a real estate developer. Allain Caparas, 30, of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, was a high school teacher. Raymond Enzweiler, 44, of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, taught university-level physics for 14 years.

Christopher Coleman, 38, of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, was a chemical sales representative. Leo Smith, 52, of Diocese of Venice, Florida, worked for the U.S. Department of Defense for 25 years. Anthony DiMarco, 49, of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, was a Pennsylvania State Parole Agent and passed the Pennsylvania Bar while in the seminary.

Kenneth Brown, 56, of the Diocese of Monterey, California, was an associate professor of English for 26 years, and retired from the California State University system. Gregory Olszewski, 45, of the Diocese of Cleveland, was a reporter at a weekly newspaper. John Schwall, 57, of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah, worked in the casino industry for 20 years.

Several have military experience. William Hegedusich, 46, of the Washington Archdiocese, is a retired Air Force officer, who flew as a navigator. Darin Colarusso, 40, of the Archdiocese of Boston, was in the Air Force and flew fighter jets as a weapons officer.

A variety of ethnic and national backgrounds marks the class. Jesus Gaviria, 33, of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, is Hispanic. Maynard Ubaldo Paragan, 46, of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, is Filipino. Hieu Nguyen, 35, to be ordained for the Society of the Divine Word, is from Viet Nam. Slawomir Bystrzykowski, 31, of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was born in Poland. Johanes Raharjo, C.I.C.M., 30, who is a member of the Missionhurst Congregation, was born in Indonesia. Anthony Lackland, 44, of the Diocese of Dallas, is African American and taught in a Catholic school. Rahab Isidor, 27, of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was born in Haiti.

Involvement in parish was important. One parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Archdiocese, has three men being ordained this year: Avelino Gonzalez, 41; Andrew Royals, 27; and Greg Shaffer, 34.

Some ordinands are parents. Stephen Geer, 51, of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, is a certified public accountant and a single parent who raised an adoptive son from the age of three. Charles Huck, 51, of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, has seven children and eight grandchildren. Michael Millard, 64, of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, is a widower with four children and seven grandchildren. Robert Kelleher, 66, of the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has three children and three grandchildren.

Some have strong academic backgrounds. Bjorn Lundberg, 31, of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, was national Merit Finalist. Aaron Nord of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, was a National Merit Scholarship winner and an Eagle Scout.

Further information on the Class of 2006 can be found at www.usccb.org/vocations.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Kenneth Brown, 56, of the Diocese of Monterey, California, was an associate professor of English for 26 years, and retired from the California State University system.

I just learned on Sunday that the soon-to-be-Father Ken is going to be our new associate pastor at St. Patrick's in Watsonville. He spent some time with us last summer when we had a weekly study group. He was raised in the Catholic community in New Orleans and more recently taught at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

[Cheverus]

I'm sure they know all about his decision and why he made it.

I remember three days after I started I was in a room full of LCMS Pastors and one said to another
"Did you here about X, he's gone to the Priesthood"
the second replied.
"Oh, like Neuhaus, Klein......" he named like six or eight more guys.

They're very aware of those that have gone over, particularly high profile guys like Klein and Neuhaus.