May 21, 2022 - Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley will ordain seven men to the Priesthood

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley will ordain seven men to the Priesthood this morning, Saturday, May 21, 2022, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The Ordination Mass begins at 10:00 a.m.

Cardinal Seán said, “Priests are Christ’s ambassadors, His messengers, His reconcilers. One of the greatest joys of being a priest is to bring words of comfort and assurance of God’s love and mercy to all people. As priests, following Jesus’ example, we are called to be close to the people we serve. We pray that with the help of God, these new priests can be an instrument of reconciliation in a world fraught by division. May God’s blessings be upon these newly ordained as they are called to joyfully serve Christ and the Church.”

The CatholicTV Network will broadcast the entire Mass live from the Cathedral beginning at 10:00 a.m. Please check with your local cable provider for the CatholicTV channel in your area or go to www.CatholicTV.org for more information. The Ordination Mass will also be rebroadcast on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. and will be available on-demand at CatholicTV.org.

To view the Program for the Presbyteral Ordination, please click here.  

Following are the candidates for ordination. The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, has feature profiles of all the candidates in this week’s edition. Look to next week’s edition (Friday, May 27, 2022) for full coverage of the ordination. For more information please visit TheBostonPilot.com.

Father Maxwell Uzoma Chukwudiebere

Born in Obowo, Imo, Nigeria, on May 4, 1985, Father Chukwudiebere is the second of the six children of Athanasius Chukwudiebere and the late Bridget Aguocha Chukwudiebere. His siblings are Stella Maris Ogechi Chukwudiebere, Dorsi Nneka Chukwudiebere, Augustine Chidozie Chukwudiebere, Lucius NNAemaka Chukwudiebere, and Sylverine Oluomacho Chukwudiebere.
 
His education prior to the seminary took place in his native Nigeria. He attended St. Peter School in his hometown and was awarded a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the Claretian Institute of Philosophy in Owerri, Imo, Nigeria in 2015. He completed his theological studies and seminary formation at St. John Seminary in Brighton, MA.
 
His deacon assignment was at St. Agnes, Middleton, and St. Rose of Lima, Topsfield.
 
He will celebrate his Mass of Thanksgiving at St. John the Evangelist Church, Winthrop, on May 22, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. Father Ryan Connors of the faculty of St. John Seminary will be the homilist.

Father Joseph Anthony Ferme

Father Joseph Ferme hails from West Islip, NY and was born on Oct. 30, 1993. He and his younger sister, Veronica, are the children of Joseph and Linda (Capuano) Ferme.
 
He attended elementary and middle school at St. Mary School, East Islip, and high school at St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from Boston University in 2015.
 
His seminary formation began at St. John Seminary, Brighton, and he continued his preparation at the Pontifical North American at Rome, with academic formation at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
 
During his deacon year, he served at St. John University, Rome Program.
 
He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. John the Baptist Church, Peabody, on Sunday May 22, 2022, with Father David Barnes of the faculty of St. John Seminary as the homilist.

Father Patrick Francis O’Connor

Father Patrick Francis O’Connor was born on January. 28, 1994, and is the youngest of three children of Brian and Paula (Powers) O’Connor, parishioners of St. Mary Parish, Dedham, MA. His older siblings are twins, a brother, Brendan, and his sister, Mary.
 
He attended Greenlodge Elementary and Dedham Middle and High Schools.  He graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in theology from Loyola University in Baltimore, MD.
 
His seminary formation was at St. John Seminary, Brighton, MA, and during his deacon year, he served at St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary Star of the Sea, and St. Margaret of Scotland, all in Beverly, MA.
 
His home parish, St. Mary, Dedham, MA, will be the church where he will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 5:00 p.m. on May 22, 2022, with Father William Kelly, former pastor at the Dedham parish and now pastor of St. Paul Parish, Cambridge, MA, as the homilist.

Father Bertrand Lionel Proulx

Father Bertrand Proulx attended Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, where he completed his seminary formation. Raised in Fall River, he was born in 1961 and he is one of four sons of the late Lionel and Yvette Proulx. His three younger brothers are Denis, Thomas, and Matthew.
 
His pre-college education was at St. Louis de France School, Swansea, and Somerset Middle and High Schools in Somerset. He was granted a Bachelor of Science degree from Fitchburg State College (now University) in 1983.
 
Following his college graduation, he worked as a software engineer at Kronos, Inc.
 
He has been serving as a deacon at St. Stephen parish, Framingham.
 
On May 22, 2022, at 2:00 p.m., Father Proulx will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Malachy Church, Burlington, with Father John Capuci, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Woburn, as the homilist.

Father Steven Restrepo

Father Steven Restrepo was born on April 1, 1993, to Reinaldo Restrepo Martinez and Consuela (Agudelo) Restrepo. His three older siblings are Reinaldo de Jesus Restrepo, Alexander de Jesus Restrepo, and Orley de Jesus Restrepo.
 
He grew up in East Boston’s Most Holy Redeemer Parish and attended public schools: James Otis Elementary, Umana Barnes Middle, and East Boston High School.
 
He is an alumnus of Boston College, having received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in theology in 2015.
 
He has been serving as a deacon at St. Joseph Parish, Needham, completing seminary formation at St. John Seminary, Brighton, MA.
 
Father Restrepo will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish church, Most Holy Redeemer, East Boston, on May 22, 2022, at 2:00 p.m., with Father Fernando Ayala Rosales, currently parochial vicar at St. Mary and St John the Evangelist Parishes in Chelmsford, as the homilist.

Father Nathaniel Albert Sanders

A native of Dallas, Texas, he was born on August 7, 1991. He is one of four sons of James and Patricia (McCarthy) Sanders. His brothers are Luke McCarthy; Johnathan Philip (his older twin); and Joseph Brendan.
 
Father Sanders attended St. Peter Cathedral School for elementary and middle school in Erie, PA. He is an alumnus of McQuaid Jesuit High School, Rochester, NY.
 
Prior to his graduate theological studies at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (BCSTM), he was graduated from Boston College in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and theology; in 2018, he completed studies at the Pontifical Facility of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., from which he received a bachelor degree in sacred theology.
 
He taught mathematics and science at the International College at Chavagnes, France, and theology at Institut Catholique de Vendée.
 
He completed his theological studies in 2021 and BCSTM and received an STL — licentiate of sacred theology. During his student year at BCSTM, he was resident at St. John Seminary, Brighton.
 
During his deacon year, he served at St. Denis and St. Margaret Mary parishes, both in Westwood.
 
On Sunday, May 22, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., Father Sanders will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Margaret Mary Church, Westwood, with Father Eric F. Cadin, director of vocations of the archdiocese, as the homilist.

Father Nicholas Henry Stano

A native of the Garden City, Newton, Father Stano was born on July 30, 1993, the oldest child of Nicholas and Ann (Mosychuk) Stano. His siblings are Joseph Michael, Robert, and twins Jake and Caitlin.
 
He was educated in Dedham Public schools. He divided his elementary years between Greenlodge and Oakdale schools; and went on to Dedham Middle and High Schools, before enrolling at Newbury College. In 2017, he graduated from Newbury with a degree in sports management.
 
His seminary formation was completed at St. John Seminary, Brighton, and during his deacon year, he has been serving at Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Parish in Maynard and Sudbury.
 
Father Wayne Belschner, Pastor, will be the homilist at the Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary Church, Dedham, on May 22, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.