Three Religious Order Priests Named Pastors

Three priests who are members of religious congregations have been appointed as pastors of parishes in the archdiocese, the Cardinal’s Office has announced.

         Also, an administrator, two temporary administrators and four parochial vicars have been appointed.

         The new pastors are Father Lawrence Ford, O.F.M., Holy Name of Jesus, Manhattan; Father Jose Ortega, L.C., St. Peter’s, Yonkers; and Father Emilio Sotomayor, Sch.P., St. Helena’s, the Bronx.

         Father Ford’s appointment became effective Sept. 1; Father Sotomayor’s took effect Sept. 21; and Father Ortega’s Oct. 1.

         The administrator is Father Ambiorix Rodriguez, St. Elizabeth’s in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. The temporary administrators are Msgr. Thomas Leonard, St. Stephen of Hungary, Manhattan, and Father Tulio Ramirez-Vanegas, M.X.Y., Our Lady of Mercy, the Bronx, while continuing as pastor of Our Saviour, the Bronx.

         The appointments of Father Rodriguez and Father Ramirez-Vanegas were to take effect Oct. 15, and Msgr. Leonard’s took effect Sept. 1.  

         The parochial vicars are Father Francis Corry, Sacred Heart, Hartsdale; Father Vincent Dassanayake, St. Mary of the Assumption, Katonah; Father Matthew Newcomb, St. Francis of Assisi, Newburgh; and Father Trevor Nicholls, St. Catharine’s, Pelham.

         The appointments of Father Corry and Father Nicholls became effective Aug. 1 while those of Father Newcomb and Father Dassanayake were effective Sept. 1.

Father Lawrence Ford, O.F.M., had served as parochial vicar of Holy Name of Jesus since 2009. He also served at Siena College in Loudonville, 2005-2009, and Holy Name College in Washington, D.C., 2002-2005. He was on the staff of St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, 1996-2001. A priest of the Franciscans’ Holy Name Province, he professed final vows in 1995 and was ordained in 1996.

Father Jose Ortega, L.C., had served since 2002 as chief financial officer of the Legionaries of Christ in North America and Asia. During that time period he assisted in Hispanic ministry at a number of parishes in the archdiocese: Sacred Heart, Port Chester; St. Francis of Assisi, Mount Kisco; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Elmsford; and St. Christopher’s, Buchanan. A native of Valencia, Spain, he professed vows with the Legionaries of Christ in 1987 and was ordained in 2001.

Father Emilio Sotomayor, Sch.P., served in the archdiocese as parochial vicar of Annunciation parish in North Manhattan, 2013-2014. He earlier served in the Archdiocese of Miami. A Piarist Father, he was ordained in 1985 in his native Spain.

Father Ambiorix Rodriguez has served since 2005 as pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, the Bronx, where he was administrator for three years before that. He was parochial vicar at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Manhattan, 1997-2002, and had a summer assignment after his ordination in 1997 at St. Joseph’s, Middletown, where he did ministry among the migrant worker community there. He was ordained in 1997.

Msgr. Thomas Leonard had served as pastor and then administrator of Holy Trinity parish, Manhattan, from 1990 until his retirement in July. He also was regional vicar of West Manhattan for those years. He previously served as administrator of Immaculate Conception, Woodbourne, 1990, and temporary administrator of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Highland Falls, 1989-1990, and of St. Brigid’s, Manhattan, 1971-1973. He was pastor of Incarnation, Manhattan, 1977-1989. He was chairman of the Priest Personnel Board and vice chancellor, 1973-1977, where he earlier was parochial vicar. He also served at Immaculate Conception, Irvington, 1956-1961. He was ordained in 1956 and named a monsignor in 1974.

Father Tulio Ramirez-Vanegas, M.X.Y., has served as pastor of Our Saviour, the Bronx, since 2011. He was parochial vicar of Our Saviour, 1997-2002. He also has served as a pastor in Ethiopia and Kenya. Born in Colombia, he was ordained in 1990 for the Yarumal Missioners.    

Father Francis Corry had been pastor of St. Frances of Rome in the Wakefield section of the Bronx since 1999. He also served as administrator of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Anthony’s, both in the Bronx, 2004-2005. He was vice principal for academics at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School, Somers, 1997-1999, and served on the faculty of Cardinal Spellman High School, the Bronx, 1977-1997. He was parochial vicar at St. Joseph’s, Spring Valley, 1974-1977. He was ordained in 1974. 

Father Vincent Dassanayake had served as parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist in Pawling for 12 years. He previously served for six months at Our Lady of the Assumption in the Bronx in 2002. He was ordained in 1985 in his native Sri Lanka and was incardinated in 2010.

Father Matthew Newcomb had served on the faculty of John F. Kennedy Catholic High School, Somers, since 2010. He earlier was parochial vicar of St. Joseph’s, Croton Falls, 2006-2010, and St. Joseph’s, Kingston, 2005-2006. He was ordained in 2005.

Father Trevor Nicholls was appointed sacramental minister at St. Catharine’s in Pelham, last December, and at that time also continued as president of Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, a position he held from 2005 until August. He served as parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist, Goshen, 2003-2005, and earlier served in the parish’s hospital and medical care ministry, 1998-2003. He served on the faculty of John A. Coleman Catholic High School, Hurley, in 1990 and as a faculty member at John S. Burke High School, Goshen, 1990-1998. A former Episcopal priest, he converted to Catholicism and was ordained in 1990.