Ordinations

Cardinal Rodríguez Ordains Four Salesian Priests

Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, ordained four Salesians of Don Bosco to the priesthood June 24 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Pelham Manor.

The new priests are Father Jean Wilgintz Polynice, S.D.B., of St. Joseph’s parish in Spring Valley; Father Dieunel Victor, S.D.B., of Brooklyn; Father Paul Phuoc Trong Chu, S.D.B., of Springfield, Mass.; and Father Minh Duc Dang, S.D.B., of Burke, Va. 

Father Timothy Zak, S.D.B., provincial of the Salesians of the New Rochelle Province, the province of the Eastern U.S. and Canada, was among the concelebrants.

Father Polynice, 43, has been assigned to the retreat team at Don Bosco Retreat Center in Stony Point. Born in Haiti, he immigrated to the United States in 1998 and joined St. Joseph’s parish in Spring Valley. He entered the Salesians in 2004 and professed final vows in 2014. He earned a master of divinity degree in pastoral ministry at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. 

Father Victor, 34, has been assigned coordinator of youth ministry at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Md. Born in Haiti, he came to the United States in 2000. His family joined St. Jerome’s parish in Brooklyn. He entered the Salesians in 2004 and professed final vows in 2015. 

Father Chu, 34, has been assigned as coordinator of campus ministry at Don Bosco Prep High School in Ramsey, N.J. Born in Vietnam, he came to the United States in 1992. His family’s home parish is St. Paul the Apostle in Springfield, Mass. He entered the Salesians in 2007 and professed final vows in 2015.

Father Dang, 34, was accepted as a missionary by the rector major in 2013 and assigned to the Salesians’ Middle East Province, which will confer his pastoral assignment, including further study of Arabic. Born in Vietnam, he immigrated to the United States in 1992. He entered the Salesians in 2006 and professed final vows in 2015.

 Father Victor, Father Chu and Father Dang earned bachelor of theology degrees from Studium Theologicum Salesianum, the Jerusalem campus of Salesian Pontifical University.

At the end of the liturgy, the new priests together gave their first blessing to Cardinal Rodriguez. 

Four Jesuits Priests Ordained at Fordham

Four Jesuits of the Maryland and USA Northeast Province were ordained to the priesthood June 10 at Fordham University Church in the Bronx. Bishop George Murry, S.J., of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, celebrated the Ordination Mass. 

The new priests are Father Rudy Casals, S.J., Father Daniel Corrou, S.J., Father Brett McLaughlin, S.J., and Father Angelo (AJ) Rizzo, S.J. 

Father Casals, 42, who was raised in Tarrytown, accepted an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., graduating with a bachelor’s degree in physics and a minor in Spanish. He began his Navy career as a surface warfare officer, later serving as the 22nd Company Officer and instructor at the Naval Academy, earning a master’s degree in leadership education. 

He entered the Jesuits in 2006. He earned a master’s degree in social philosophy from Loyola University Chicago. He taught physics for two years at Xavier High School in Manhattan, and was chaplain intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This summer, he is serving at St. Mary of the Assumption-Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Benedicta parish on Staten Island. In the fall, he will serve at St. Thomas More parish in Atlanta. 

Father Corrou, 44, is a native of Saratoga Springs. He studied at Le Moyne College in Syracuse and served for two years at a Jesuit school in Micronesia with Jesuit Volunteers International following his graduation. He entered the Society of Jesus in 2007. 

Missioned to Heythrop College at the University of London, he earned a master’s degree in philosophy and then studied Arabic for one year in Beirut, Lebanon, while working at a Jesuit high school. He also served in campus ministry at St. Joseph University in Beirut. He spent his last year overseas working with Jesuit Refugee Service as director of its Beirut program. Father Corrou will serve for a year at St. Francis Xavier parish in Manhattan. 

Father McLaughlin, 35, grew up in western Massachusetts, Tennessee and Rochester. At the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. he became active in campus ministry and studied Christology. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science, he fulfilled his ROTC commitment and was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, serving with an intelligence unit in southern England. His desire for a vocation was so strong that he asked to be released from his military commitment early, and he joined the Jesuits in 2006. 

Sent to Fordham University, he earned a master’s degree in philosophy while working with the RCIA program at Fordham and at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. Father McLaughlin will serve at St. Ignatius Loyola parish in Manhattan and hopes to continue his studies in Christology.

Father Rizzo, 36, was born and raised in Philadelphia, where his parents instilled the Catholic faith in him and his five siblings, two biological and three adopted from Ethiopia. He received a bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. He earned a master’s degree in pastoral counseling from Loyola University Maryland. 

He entered the novitiate in 2007 and worked in campus ministry at Georgetown University, later attending Fordham, where he received a master’s degree in humanities. Father Rizzo will work on dissertation research at Loyola Blakefield and serve at St. Ignatius parish in Baltimore.  

Cardinal Dolan Ordains Two Capuchin Franciscan Friars

Cardinal Dolan ordained two Capuchin Franciscan Friars to the priesthood June 10 at Sacred Heart Church in Yonkers. 

The newly ordained are Father Dennis Scott Surrency, O.F.M. Cap., 44, of Lakeland, Fla., and Father William Tarraza, O.F.M. Cap., 28, of Portland, Maine.

Father Michael Greco, O.F.M. Cap., provincial minister of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. Mary—New York and New England, in White Plains, concelebrated the Mass. Father Maurice Moreau, O.F.M., Cap., pastor of Sacred Heart, was one of the masters of ceremony.

Father Dennis Scott Surrency, O.F.M. Cap., will serve as parochial vicar of St. Pius X parish in Middletown, Conn. He entered the Capuchin Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. Mary in 2011 and professed final vows last year. He earned a master of divinity degree from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and is completing a licentiate in sacred theology there.

Father William Tarraza, O.F.M. Cap., will serve as parochial vicar at St. Michael-St. Malachy parish in Brooklyn. He entered the order in 2012 and professed final vows last year. He earned master’s degrees in divinity and theology from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.