Analysis: The US Church is going broke. Here's why, and what it could mean

Analysis: The US Church is going broke. Here's why, and what it could mean: The collapsing global economy will have an enduring and dramatic impact on parishes, chanceries, and other Catholic ministries.

 Happy Lent

"Oh, when we are sick of ourselves, weakened

 on all sides, discouraged with repeated

 relapses, wearied with sin and sorrow, we 

gently, sweetly lay the whole account at Jesus'

feet...Can there be any 

comparison to this

 blessedness?" 

-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

2019 PRIEST ASSIGNMENT FOR ARCHDIOCESE OF PORTLAND

https://catholicsentinel.org/MobileContent/Viewpoints/Viewpoints/Article/Priest-reassignments-2019/3/383/37910

Did You Know? The Reason Why Chief Sitting Bull Wore a Crucifix

05/29/2018 at 9:30 AM Posted by Mary Anne Hackett
Catholic Citizens of Illinois, member of Catholic Media Coalition 

By Billy Ryan – May 21, 2018

Sitting Bull is the legendary first chieftain of the entire Lakota Sioux nation, a commonplace figure among the Wild West history of the American Frontier. Most everyone in grade school learns the history of his involvement with resistance against the government, his time spent with Buffalo Bill, and his unfortunate death. What most people don’t know about him, however, is that Sitting Bull wore a crucifix. Here’s why…

While most learn about Sitting Bull and the American Indians, most don’t learn about the great work done by Catholic missionary priests on the American Frontier. The most famous of these priests was the Jesuit missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet, one of the rare few trusted by the Lakota Sioux and a personal great friend of Chief Sitting Bull who became known as “Friend of Sitting Bull.”

The Sioux, especially Chief Sitting Bull, greatly admired the “black-robes,” as they called the missionaries. Father De Smet was so loved he was able to walk into an entire camp of five thousand unarmed and be greeted with welcome arms. Father De Smet first met Sitting Bull in 1848, when he was 17 and De Smet was 47. Bishop Thomas O’Gorman records in 1904:

“Father De Smet has left a complete record of his visit made in the summer of 1848, but says he was impelled to make that visit by interest aroused during a ‘transient visit to some tribes of Sioux, on the upper-Missouri, on my way back from the Rocky mountains.’”

While Father De Smet and Sitting Bull would likely have had multiple further encounters from 1848-1870, there is no baptismal record of Sitting Bull nor did De Smet ever mention it in his writings. Because Sitting Bull had multiple wives he did not give up, it remained an obstacle to his acceptance into the Church his entire life. The legend that he was a baptized most likely spawned from a New York Times article on September 23rd, 1883 that hints at the possibility of him becoming Catholic:

“An unforeseen obstacle to his [Sitting Bull’s] reception has been met in the shape of two wives, neither of whom Sitting Bull can make up his mind to part with. Until the red man brings himself to put aside one or the other of his marital companions he will be debarred entrance.”

If he wasn’t Catholic, why did he wear a crucifix? The answer to the reason why comes from a meeting in June of 1868, when Father De Smet met with Chief Sitting Bull near Fort Rice in efforts to gather signatures for the Treaty of Fort Laramie. When he arrived, one of the chiefs there told him: “If it had been any other man than you, Black-robe, this day would have been his last.”

During this meeting, Father De Smet presented Sitting Bull and principal war leaders American Cross and Two Bears with a crucifix and convinced the Sioux people to sign the treaty. When De Smet returned, General Stanley remarked that “Father De Smet alone of the entire white race could penetrate to these cruel savages and return safe and sound.”

This crucifix he received from Father De Smet in 1868 was the same one he wore in his most famous portrait taken in 1885. If you look closely, the crucifix has skull bones on its bottom. This type of crucifix was popular with Jesuit missionaries at the time because the world Calvary means “the skull,” meant to be a reminder of the story of Salvation and why Christ died for us.

2018 Archdiocese of Portland Priest Assignments

Priest reassignments announced

Saturday, June 02, 2018 12:00 PM

• • • • • • •

REASSIGNMENT GLOSSARY

Pastor — He leads the parish as an extension of the ministry of the archbishop. Pastors are to teach, sanctify and govern for the good of souls in a certain geographical area. Pastors are to have ample experience as a priest, normally five years.
Administrator — He leads the parish in the absence of a pastor. Because he does not have as much experience as a pastor, or for some other reason, he will receive help from archdiocesan authorities and his powers will be limited in areas deemed appropriate by the bishop.
Parochial vicar — He shares in the pastoral care of the parish under direction of the pastor.

Archbishop Alexander Sample has announced the following assignments for priests in the Archdiocese of Portland. Assignments are effective July 1 unless noted otherwise. More assignments will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

PASTORS

Msgr. Richard Paperini
New assignment: Pastor, St. Philip Neri in Portland
Previous assignment: Pastor, Christ the King in Milwaukie
Born Nov. 18, 1950, in Portland, Msgr. Paperini is a graduate of Central Catholic High School. He has a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University in English and two master’s degrees from Mount Angel Seminary.
He was ordained in 1977 by Archbishop Cornelius Power at St. Henry Parish in Gresham.
Msgr. Paperini’s ministry has included work at St. Henry, Gresham; St. Charles, Portland; Central Catholic, Portland; St. Mary of the Valley, Beaverton; St. Jude, Eugene; St. Luke, Woodburn; and Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict as president-rector. He has served as pastor of Christ the King Parish in Milwaukie since 2012.

Msgr. John Cihak
New assignment: Pastor, Christ the King in Milwaukie
Previous assignment: Papal master of ceremonies under Pope Francis
Msgr. Cihak was born in 1970 and grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. Thinking he was supposed to be a doctor, he entered the pre-med program at the University of Notre Dame. After hearing a call to the priesthood, he graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1992. He attended Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, 1991-93, and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, 1993-99. In 1996, Msgr. Cihak earned a bachelor’s of sacred theology degree and three years later a licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained by Archbishop John Vlazny at St. Mary Cathedral in Portland in June 1998 and his first parish assignment was at St. Anne Church in Grants Pass. He later served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Gervais.
Msgr. Cihak received his doctoral degree in sacred theology in 2007 from Gregorian University. In 2009, he began serving at the Vatican Congregation of Bishops and shortly after was appointed a papal master of ceremonies under Pope Benedict XVI and continued to serve under Pope Francis.

Fr. Michael Vuky
New assignment: Pastor, St. Edward in North Plains while continuing as pastor of Visitation in Verboort and St. Francis in Roy
Previous assignment: Administrator, St. Edward in North Plains
Father Vuky was born in 1976 and raised in the Portland area. He graduated from St. Mary of the Valley Grade School (now Valley Catholic) and Jesuit High School. After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Chicago, he studied at Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict. He went on to study at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and earned a bachelor’s in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 2003 and a license in sacred theology from L’Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome in 2006.
Ordained by Archbishop John Vlazny in 2005, Father Vuky was assigned as parochial vicar of St. Mary Parish in Eugene before returning to school and completing his license in canon law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Father Vuky has served as pastor of St. Francis Parish in Roy and Visitation Parish in Verboort since 2011. Last year he began serving as administrator of St. Edward Parish in North Plains. Father Vuky is also director of continuing education of clergy for the Portland Archdiocese.

Fr. Luan Tran
New assignment: Pastor, St. Agatha in Portland
Previous assignment: Pastor, St. Birgitta in Portland
Father Tran was born in 1963 in Vietnam. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University in 1987 and entered Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict the following year. He was ordained by Archbishop William Levada in 1994 at St. Mary Cathedral in Portland.
Father Tran has served at St. Mary, Corvallis; St. Mary Cathedral; St. Frederic, St. Helens; St. Mary, Vernonia; and at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rainier.
Father Tran has been pastor of St. Birgitta Parish in Portland since 2010.

Fr. Benjamin Tapia-Ortiz
New assignment: Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua in Forest Grove
Previous assignment: Pastor, Shepherd of the Valley in Central Point
Father Tapia-Ortiz was born in 1982 in Baja California, Mexico. He completed his studies at St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Portland in 2012 by Archbishop John Vlazny.
Father Tapia-Ortiz has served as a parochial vicar at Sacred Heart in Medford, St. Alexander in Cornelius, St. Edward in North Plains and St. Henry in Gresham. He was named administrator and then pastor of Shepherd of the Valley in Central Point.

Fr. James Herrera
New assignment: Pastor, Sacred Heart-St. Louis Parish in Gervais
Previous assignment: Administrator, St. Francis Parish in Sherwood
Father Herrera was born in 1977 in Stayton. He attended Linn Benton Community College before entering Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict in 2005. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religious studies in 2008 from Mount Angel and was ordained in 2013 by Archbishop Alexander Sample.
His ministry work has included assignments at St. Anthony, Tigard; Sacred Heart, Gervais; Benedictine Providence Nursing Center, Mount Angel; St. Mary, Mount Angel; and St. Stephen, Portland.
He participated in a yearlong pastoral internship at St. Anthony Parish in Forest Grove, a summer of Spanish language immersion in Guadalajara, Mexico, and clinical pastoral experience training at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis.
In 2013, Father Herrera was named parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception Parish in Stayton, and in 2015 he was appointed administrator of St. Francis Parish in Sherwood.

Fr. Manuel Becerra
New assignment: Pastor, St. Vincent de Paul in Salem
Previous assignment: Administrator, St. Michael the Archangel in Sandy, St. Aloysius in Estacada and St. John Mission in Welches
Father Becerra was born in 1977 in Cúcuta, Colombia. He attended elementary and secondary schools in Cúcuta, graduating from high school in 1995. He studied at the Universidad Francisco de Paul Santander in Cúcuta and the Universidad Minuto de Dios and the Congregation of Jesus and Mary Seminary in Bogota. He began studying for the Archdiocese of Portland in 2010 at St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California. His ministry training assignments have included St. Luke Parish in Woodburn and clinical pastoral education at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. He was ordained in 2015 at St. Mary Cathedral by Archbishop Alexander Sample.
Father Becerra has served at Our Lady of the Lake, Lake Oswego; St. Anthony, Forest Grove; St. Edward, North Plains; and St. Joseph, Mountain View, California. In 2016, he was named administrator of St. Michael the Archangel in Sandy, St. Aloysius in Estacada and St. John Mission in Welches.


ADMINISTRATORS

Fr. George Kuforiji
New assignment: Administrator, St. Francis of Assisi in Portland
Previous assignment: Administrator, Holy Trinity in Brandon
Father Kuforiji was born in 1951 in Oshogbo, Nigeria. He attended elementary school at St. Benedict School in Oshogbo and graduated from St. Joseph College High School in Ondo in 1969. He studied at the University of Washington in Seattle, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1983. Prior to entering the seminary, he worked with the Oregon Department of Transportation. He entered Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, in 2010. His ministry training included assignments at St. Vincent de Paul in Salem, St. Francis of Assisi in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and chaplain’s training at St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, Washington.
He was ordained in 2015 by Archbishop Alexander Sample and assigned as parochial vicar at Holy Trinity Parish in Brandon and St. John the Baptist Mission in Port Orford. In 2017, Father Kuforiji was named administrator of Holy Trinity.

Fr. Fredy Bonilla Moreno
New assignment: Administrator, Shepherd of the Valley in Central Point
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Vincent de Paul in Salem
Father Bonilla Moreno was born in 1982 in La Argentina, Colombia. He attended elementary and secondary schools in Al Argentina, graduating high school in 2001. He earned a degree in philosophy from Sepavi School in Medellin in 2004. He then attended the Seminario Villa Paúl in Funza, Colombia, earning a theology degree in 2008. In 2011, he entered Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict. He served at The Madeleine Parish in Northeast Portland and St. Mary Parish in Astoria.
He was ordained in 2015 at St. Mary Cathedral by Archbishop Alexander Sample and assigned as parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Salem.
 
Fr. Tetzel Umingli
New assignment: Administrator, St. Paul in Silverton
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Anne in Grants Pass
The seventh of eight children, Father Umingli was born in 1988, in Lagawe, Ifugao, Philippines. He graduated from a Catholic high school in 2004 and began nursing school. He entered Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict in 2011 and completed his pastoral year at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Albany.
He was ordained in 2016 at St. Mary Cathedral by Archbishop Alexander Sample and his first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass.

Fr. Shane McKee, SOLT
New assignment: Administrator, St. Francis of Assisi in Sherwood
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, Sacred Heart in Medford
Born in 1973 in Portland, Father McKee graduated from Jesuit High School in 1991 and the University of Portland in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in theology. From 2001 to 2004, he studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum, in Rome, earning a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology. He was ordained for the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2007.
He served as parochial vicar from 2007 to 2012 at St. Ann’s Indian Mission in Belcourt, North Dakota, and as pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in Seattle from 2012 to 2017. In 2017, he was named parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Parish in Medford.
 
Fr. Timothy Furlow
New assignment: Administrator, St. Patrick, Portland
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Mary Cathedral, Portland
Father Furlow was born in 1982 in Portland. He attended Holy Trinity School in Beaverton and graduated from a homeschool program in 2000. He attended the University of Portland from 2000–02 before moving to Azerbaijan to teach English. In 2004, he began studies at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theology and philosophy in 2007. That same year he began youth ministry work at St. Cecilia Parish in Beaverton. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology from Mount Angel Seminary and a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
He was ordained in 2015 by Archbishop Sample at St. Mary Cathedral.

Fr. Gregg Bronsema
New assignment: Administrator, St. Michael Parish, Sandy, St. John Mission, Welches, and St. Aloysius Parish, Estacada
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Lake Oswego
Father Bronsema was born in 1956 in Chicago. He graduated from Portland Christian High School in 1975 then earned an architecture degree at the University of Oregon. He graduated in 1986 from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and ministered at Portland Foursquare Church from 1986 to 1993. He worked for Christian Supply Center in Portland until his entrance into Mount Angel Seminary for pre-theology studies in 2009. He completed the bachelor’s degree in theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome in 2014.
He was ordained in 2015 by Archbishop Sample at St. Mary Cathedral.

Fr. Anthony Ahamefule
New assignment: Administrator, Holy Trinity Parish, Bandon, and St. John Mission, Port Orford
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Cecilia, Beaverton
Father Ahamefule was born in 1984 in Kano State, Nigeria. He completed his priestly studies at Mount Angel. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Portland in 2016 by Archbishop Sample. St. Cecilia Parish was his first assignment.

Fr. Joshua Clifton
New assignment: Administrator, St. Birgitta Parish, Portland, and St. Mary Parish, Vernonia
Previous assignment: Parish assignments with the Diocese of Monterey in California
Father Clifton was born and raised in San Luis Obispo, California. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and from Mount Angel Seminary.  He was ordained in 2012.
Father Clifton’s ministry has been at St. Theodore Parish in Gonzales, Madonna del Sasso Parish in Salinas, Holy Trinity Parish in Greenfield, St. Patrick Parish in Watsonville, and Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Castroville, all in California. He has taught at Catholic schools on both coasts.

Fr. Charles Holden
New assignment: Administrator, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Shady Cove
Previous assignment: Administrator, St. Helen Parish, Junction City and St. Rose of Lima Parish, Monroe
Father Holden was born in New York City in 1953. He earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies in 1979 from Portland State University. He did graduate work in theology, earning a master’s of divinity degree in 2013 from Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
He made a profession of faith into the Catholic Church at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Cottage Grove in 1972. He worked for Bank of America and for Tri-Met before entering the seminary. He was ordained at St. Mary Cathedral in 2013 by Archbishop Sample. He served at Our Lady of Sorrows, Portland; St. Clare, Portland; St. Paul Parish, Eugene; and as parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish, Salem, before being assigned administrator at the parishes in Junction City and Monroe.

Fr. John Arcidiacono
New assignment: Administrator, St. Helen Parish, Junction City and St. Rose of Lima, Monroe
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, Immaculate Conception Parish in Stayton
Father Arcidiacono was born in 1976 in Ellensburg, Washington. He studied for two years at Mount Angel Seminary before completing his seminary studies at the Congregation of St. John, Private Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Rimont, France. He was ordained a priest for the Congregation of St. John in 2012 by Cardinal Robert Sarah in Ars, France. Since his priestly ordination, Father Arcidiacono completed a masters in theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary online program. He served as an assistant chaplain at a Catholic high school in Laredo, Texas, and as a youth retreat coordinator for the Congregation of St. John in Peoria, Illinois.


RESIDENCE CHANGES

A number of priests will change residences, most of them continuing in their previous work.

Fr. Joseph Heuberger
New residence: Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Portland
Previous assignment: Pastor, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Portland
Father Heuberger will assist Father Ronald Millican, pastor. Father Heuberger was born in Sublimity in 1944. He graduated from Mount Angel Seminary High School, earned his bachelor’s degree from Mount Angel Seminary and his master’s degree in divinity from St. Thomas Seminary in Seattle. He was ordained in 1970 at St. Boniface Parish in Sublimity by Archbishop Robert Dwyer. Father Heuberger served as assistant pastor at St. James, McMinnville, 1970—77; associate pastor at St. Matthew, Hillsboro, 1977—81; St. Patrick, Toledo, 1981—86; parochial vicar at St. John, Oregon City, 1987—88; St. Cecilia, Beaverton, 1988. He was pastor of Immaculate Heart, Portland, from 1988 to 1994, and of Visitation Parish, Verboort, 1994–2003; and at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Salem since that year.

Fr. Nazario Atukunda
New residence: St. Mary Cathedral, Portland
Previous assignment: Administrator, St. Philip Neri Parish, Portland
Father Atukunda, who serves in the Tribunal Office for the Archdiocese of Portland, was born in 1967 in Kabale, Uganda. He graduated from St. Paul’s Seminary High School and St. Adrian’s Seminary College, both in Kabale. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Katigondo Seminary in Masaka, Uganda; a bachelor’s degree in theology from St. Paul’s Seminary in Fort Portal, Uganda; and a license in canon law from the Urban University in Rome. He was ordained for the Kabale Diocese by Bishop Robert Gay in 1998. Father Atukunda served as the rector of St. Paul Seminary, Uganda and as a judge for the Inter-Diocesan Tribunal, Kasese. Father Atukunda came to the Archdiocese of Portland in 2014 with his first assignment at St. Joseph Parish, Salem.

Fr. Amalraj Rayappan
New residence: Ascension Parish, Portland
Previous residence: St. Anthony Parish in Tigard
Father Rayappan, who serves in the Tribunal Office for the Archdiocese of Portland, was born in 1972 in Kadakulam, India. He attended Catholic primary and secondary education before beginning minor seminary in 1989. He studied philosophy and theology at St. Peter Pontifical Seminary in Bangalore and was ordained in 1999 for the Tuticorin Diocese. He holds a doctorate in canon law from Urbaniana University in Rome and a diploma in jurisprudence from the Gregorian University in Rome.
He served in several parishes in India from 1999 to 2008; was judicial vicar for the Diocese of Tuticorin, and held the chancellor’s position 2012–17.

Fr. John Marshall
New residence: Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lake Oswego
Previous assignment: Administrator, St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Forest Grove
Father Marshall, who is pursuing post-graduate studies at Mount Angel Seminary, was born in Pendleton in 1978. After attending the University of Portland, he entered Mount Angel, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2000. He worked for Umpqua Bank for four years. He was ordained at in 2013 by Archbishop Sample. He has served at St. Paul Parish, Silverton; Our Lady of the Mountain Parish, Ashland; and the Madeleine Parish, Portland. He served as administrator at St. Peter Parish, Eugene, and has been administrator of St. Anthony since 2014.

Msgr. Gerard O’Connor
New residence: Christ the King Parish, Milwaukie
Previous residence: St. Rose of Lima, Portland
Msgr. O’Connor, director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Portland, was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England in 1964. He attended Marist College High School and then Kingston University in London where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied physics and an MBA. After university he began in marketing for the personal computer industry. He became a seminarian for the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1996 and was sent to the North American College in Rome, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in sacred theology and his licentiate in sacred liturgy.
He was ordained in 2000 by Cardinal Sean O’Malley and was sent back to Rome to work for the Holy See as an official of the Congregation of the Clergy (2000–07). During that time he also earned a doctorate in sacred liturgy is from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm, the Benedictine university in Rome.
Before coming to the Archdiocese of Portland in 2017, he was pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet, Massachusetts, from 2008 to 2017; associate pastor at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville, Massachusetts, 2007– 08; and administrator of St. Anthony of Padua New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 2007.


PAROCHIAL VICARS

Fr. Peter Nhat Hoang
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Mark and St. Peter, Eugene
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Joseph in Salem and Christ the King in Milwaukie
Father Hoang was born on Oct. 17, 1984, in Saigon, Vietnam. He began his studies as Mount Angel Seminary and then transferred to St. Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park, California, to complete his studies. Father Hoang was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Portland in 2013 by Archbishop Sample. He previously served at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, St. Joseph Parish in Salem and Christ the King Parish in Milwaukie. He will be joining Father Michael Jeeva-Anthony in Eugene.

Fr. Scott Baier
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Anthony of Padua in Tigard
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Luke in Woodburn
Father Baier was born in 1978 in Edmonds, Washington. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Russian form the University of Washington in Seattle.
Father Baier entered Mount Angel Seminary in 2008. His pastoral assignments have included St. Philip Benizi Parish in Redland and The Madeleine Parish in Portland. He studied in Mexico and Costa Rica and went through chaplain training at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. As a deacon he has served at St. Alexander Parish in Cornelius and St. Luke Parish in Woodburn, After being ordained by Archbishop Sample in 2015, he served as parochial vicar in Woodburn.

Fr. Arjie Garcia
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Anne in Grants Pass, Our Lady of the River Mission in Rogue River and St. Patrick of the Forest Mission in Cave Junction
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, Shepherd of the Valley in Central Point
Born in 1985 in the Philippines, Father Garcia is the oldest of four children. He graduated from a Catholic high school in 2002 and studied secondary education.
He was accepted into the diocesan seminary in Cebu, where he was recommended to study philosophy.
He began studying for the Archdiocese of Portland at Mount Angel Seminary in 2010. He completed a pastoral year at Our Lady of the Mountain Parish in Ashland. He was ordained by Archbishop Sample in 2016 and has served at St. Anthony in Tigard and then Shepherd of the Valley in Central Point.


Fr. Richard LeFaivre
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Mary Cathedral, Portland (summer only)
Previous assignment: Seminarian studying in Rome
Father LeFaivre was born in 1966 in Columbia, Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s in history from Lewis and Clark College and a sacred theology baccalaureate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was ordained a deacon in Rome last year. Father LeFaivre will return to Rome in the fall to complete a Sacred Theology License in Spiritual Theology at the Angelicum.
He served as a deacon at the University of Mary in Rome. He was ordained by Archbishop Alexander Sample June 2 at St. Mary Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.

Fr. Hans Mueller
New assignment: Parochial vicar, Holy Trinity in Beaverton
Previous assignment: Studying in Rome
Born in Salem in 1982, Father Mueller went to North Salem High School and then Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
He began seminary at Mount Angel in 2010 and in 2012 was sent to Rome to study at the Gregorian University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology. He was ordained a deacon in 2015, served for a year at St. Mary Parish in Eugene and returned to Rome for a final year of formation. He was ordained a priest last year and spent the summer serving at Ascension Parish in Portland before going back to Rome to complete his studies.

Fr. Chrispine Otieno
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Henry, Gresham
Previous assignment: Parochial vicar, Sacred Heart-St. Louis, Gervais
Father Otieno was born in Siaya County, Kenya in 1982. He attended the Consulata Institute of Philosophy, earning a diploma in philosophy and religious studies in 2005. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome in 2005. Continuing his studies at the Urbaniana University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology in 2009. He earned a master’s degree in theology from Mount Angel Seminary in 2013. He was ordained in 2013 by Archbishop Sample.
He has served as parochial vicar at St. Henry, Gresham; St. Paul, Silverton; St. Mary, Corvallis; St. Mary in Eugene and Sacred Heart-St. Louis in Gervais.

Fr. Miguel Angel Figueroa Farias
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Anne in Portland
Previous assignment: Diocese of Cuernavaca in Mexico
Father Farias was ordained to the priesthood in 1997 at the Cathedral of the City of Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico by Bishop Luis Reynoso Cervantes. He has served at St. Pius X and Sacred Heart parishes in Cuernavaca.

Fr. Brent Crowe
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Cecelia in Beaverton
Previous assignment: Seminarian
Father Crowe was born in Chico, California, in 1967. He earned a bachelor’s degree in general science from Oregon State University and worked as a biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
He entered Mount Angel Seminary in 2011. He did his pastoral year at the Cathedral parish in Portland. He was ordained a deacon last year and then spent the summer serving at St. Cecilia Parish in Beaverton before serving as deacon at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northeast Portland. He was ordained by Archbishop Alexander Sample June 2.

Fr. Jonah Lynch
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Joseph in Salem
Previous assignment: Vice-rector of the Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo in Rome
Father Jonah Lynch was born in 1978, grew up in Turner and graduated from Cascade High School in 1996. Then he attended McGill University in Montreal, where he rediscovered his faith through friendship with members of the Communion and Liberation ecclesial movement. While at McGill, he studied physics and also found time to play violin in several groups. During his last two years of college, he discerned a vocation to the priesthood and entered the seminary of the Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo in Rome in the Jubilee year of 2000. A new adventure began in Italy. After ordination in 2006, he worked for nearly a decade as a teacher and administrator in the seminary, and also expressed his faith in many ways, including books, theater and video documentaries. Last year, he finished a doctorate in fundamental theology with a thesis on mystical prayer and preaching. He says he looks forward to serving the community with faith, enthusiasm and creativity.

Fr. Bill Ameche, SJ
New assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Alexander in Cornelius
Previous assignment: Associate pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Diego, California
Father Ameche was born in 1947 in Los Angeles, California. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1965 and was ordained in 1981 in Chihuahua, Mexico. For the last several years, he’s served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Diego, California, and has been superior of the local Jesuit community there for five years. He spent 30 years in Mexico, first in formation and then serving as a priest. He earned a bachelor’s in philosophy and theology from the Jesuit seminary in Mexico City. Father Ameche will be doing missionary catechetical formation in Washington County, reaching out to non-practicing Hispanics in the local community.


OFFICIAL FROM THE ARCHBISHOP
Six priests have been named pastors of the parishes in which they have been serving as administrators:
Fr. Paul Jeyamani is now pastor of All Saints Parish in Portland.
Fr. Aniceto III Villareal Guiriba is now pastor of St. James Parish in Mollala.
Fr. Justus Alaeto is now pastor of Star of the Sea Parish in Brookings and St. Charles Borromeo Mission in Gold Beach.
Fr. Joseph Hung Nguyen is now pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Cottage Grove and St. Philip Benizi Mission in Creswell.
Fr. Joseph Hoang is now pastor of St. Anthony, Waldport.
Fr. Amal Irudayaraj will remain pastor of Sacred Heart in Tillamook, but he will take on being administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Cloverdale.