Bishop Robert Brennan Ordained Seven Men to the Priesthood

The Most Reverend Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, presided over a Mass of Ordination and conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders upon seven men Saturday morning at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. The seven new priests include two Brooklyn-born men, a native of France, two men from Mexico, one from Colombia, and one from Nigeria. Prior to entering the seminary, these men served in a variety of professions including teaching, hospitality, and auto mechanics.

This sacred celebration marked a moment of great joy for the Diocese as these men commit their lives in service to God and the people of Brooklyn and Queens. “Throughout your lives, Jesus Christ has been revealing himself to you. You responded to His call into friendship.Then at some point, it seems that He called you into service as a priest. And you gave yourself over to this process of formation, where he revealed himself even more. And I bet he revealed a great deal to you about yourselves,” said Bishop Brennan during his homily.

The seven new priests are:

Benoit Chavanne, a native of France, participated in various missionary trips prior to joining the seminary. It was on a mission trip in 2014 to Chile with Con-solatio, a Brooklyn-based non-profit rooted in the Catholic faith, that confirmed for him his desire to become a priest. He enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and sports.

Juan Herrera grew up in Medellín, Colombia, and worked as a teacher for 7 years after graduating college. He plays guitar and makes rosaries, skills he plans to use to connect with the faithful in the pews.

Callistus Ibeh, born and raised in Nigeria, knew he wanted to become a priest since the age of 8. He came to the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2016, attended St. John’s University, and later enrolled in St. Joseph’s Seminary and College. He is looking forward to bringing people into the Church as part of his priestly ministry.

Robert Ruggiero grew up in Red Hook and attended Sacred Hearts St. Stephen Parish in Carroll Gardens. He previously served as a director of religious education and a pastoral associate in parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Paulo Salazar is a native of Jackson Heights, Queens, and the parish of St. Joan of Arc. He is an avid basketball player who studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he learned an important lesson from Pope Francis, who told the seminarians to ‘pray, get a good night’s sleep, and play sports.’

Alvaro Morales Sanchez was born in Mexico and moved with his family to New Jersey at the age of 9. His career began as a mechanic repairing diesel engines in trucks before responding to God’s calling to become a priest.

Gerardo Tlatelpa, born and raised in Chinantla, Mexico, moved to Brooklyn at 20 years old and began working in restaurants. He became an active parishioner of Our Lady of Refuge Church in Flatbush before entering the seminary.

The new priests will be serving in the following churches: Father Chavanne – Regina Pacis in Dyker Heights, Father Herrera – Blessed Sacrament in Jackson Heights, Father Ibeh – St. Sebastian in Woodside, Father Ruggiero – St. Francis of Assisi in Astoria, Father Salazar – Resurrection Ascension-Our Lady of the Angelus in Rego Park, Father Sanchez – Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jamaica, and Father Tlatelpa – St. Michael in Sunset Park.

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Video Courtesy: Diocese of Brooklyn

Photos Courtesy: Diocese of Brooklyn/John Quaglione

Ordination Ceremony and Bishop Brennan Homily Soundbite:
vimeo.com/1097205383