Recently ordained

Priests are ordained into a presbyterate serving a local church. As you know, our diocese holds regular trainings for our newest priests, those ordained five years or less.

This month’s gathering had as its theme: “ Working Together as Priests in the Diocese”. Part of the three- day, two-night experience was a visit to the Escape Room as an experience of team building. Our priests were instructed to think and act as a bomb squad that had one hour to discover clues and decipher codes to dismantle a bomb. Opening locks, searching for codes and finding clues had the priests going from place to place, working together to discover how to dismantle the bomb. It took some time, but the group but managed in overtime to get the right sequence of codes to dismantle the bomb. Lots of laughs and learning together bonded the men.

The photo at the top of the Memo was taken after the Escape experience. Our newest ordained are back row from left to right, Fathers Alan Valencia, Inna Gade, Robert Neske, Martin Bosco Ormin, Marco Carrasco and me. Middle row: Fathers John Paul Shea, Msgr. Al Schifano, Amana Edoka and George Holley; Bottom row left to right, Fathers Albert Miranda, Martin Moreno and Edson Elizarraras. Father Callistus Iyorember got cut off in the picture.

Besides learning to work as a team, the ongoing training gave the newest of our priests a chance to learn more about the history of Catholicism in this region. Hopefully, they gained a broader understanding of their past brother priests who came from many different places. They also learned about the struggles earlier diocesan priests worked through to get our diocese established.


My thanks to Father Greg Adolf, pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Sierra Vista who is a great scholar of history, especially about Padre Eusebio Kino, S.J.; and to Father Pat Crino, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul, who gave an afternoon of reflection with the priests about priestly fraternity and collaboration.

My thanks again to our other presenters: Ana- Elisa Arredondo, our diocesan archivist; Mark O’Hare and Dr. Raul Ramirez; as well as the members of our priest discussion panel: Msgr. Jeremiah McCarthy, our Moderator of the Curia; Msgr. Raul Trevizo, Vicar General and pastor at St. John the Evangelist Parish; Father John Arnold, J.C.L, J.D and pastor at St. Mark Parish; and Father Vili Valderrama, pastor at Our Lady of Fatima Parish. The panel members shared how they have experienced priestly fraternity.