Cardinal Wuerl to Ordain Six Men to the Priesthood
June 10, 2013
The Archdiocese of Washington is blessed to have six seminarians who will be ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. More than 2,000 priests, family and friends are expected to fill the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the ordination. The men are among 73 who are preparing to become priests for the Archdiocese of Washington; seminary studies typically take five or more years.
Mass of Ordination
Saturday, June 15, 2013
10:00 a.m.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
400 Michigan Avenue, NE
Washington, DC
Francisco Aguirre, 32, graduated from Fordham University in 2004 and worked for the Archdiocese of Washington and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament parish before entering seminary at Mount Saint Mary’s and then the Pontifical North American College in Rome. “[These work] experiences proved vital to recognizing my call to the Diocesan priesthood. It was through these that I came to a greater appreciation of the Church at an Archdiocesan level through contact with various priests and parishioners.” Having two relatives that were priests, he began to consider the priesthood at the age of 6. Father Aguirre will celebrate his first Mass on June 16, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda.
Rafael Barbieri de Carvalho, 32, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, played in a rock band before joining the seminary. He received a degree in Tourism and Hotel Management from Centro Universitario and then served as a missionary catechist in the Turks and Caicos Islands. At the age of 20, he began to discern a vocation to the priesthood. “Being in the Neocatechumenal Way community in Brazil helped me find answers to my deepest sufferings and to meet God’s unconditional love. This love is the source of my vocation.” Rafael studied at the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary. Father Barbieri will celebrate his first Mass on June 16, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Michael the Archangel in Silver Spring.
Mark Cusick, 29, said he began to recognize a desire to guide Christians while in college at the University of Miami where he studied Psychology. He said the university chaplain, Fr. Richard Mullen, OSA, was important to his vocation because he provided spiritual direction and guidance during his senior year. “I realized God was honing my natural and spiritual gifts in order to radiate truth, compassion and healing to people’s lives through the ministry of the priesthood.” He entered seminary at Mount Saint Mary’s in 2007. Father Cusick will celebrate his first Mass on June 16, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Rockville.
Shaun Foggo, 35, attended St. Jerome’s Catholic School, DeMatha Catholic High School and then The Catholic University of America, where he played baseball and went on to become an assistant baseball coach during graduate school. Shaun went back to his alma mater, DeMatha, to teach and coach. Shaun also served in the Coast Guard before entering Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in 2007. “There have been some powerful experiences I’ve had in prayer over the years, particularly times in which I was distancing myself from God. These have been moments that have drawn me even closer to Christ and made me more aware of this tugging in my heart toward the priesthood.” Father Foggo will celebrate his first Mass on June 16, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Hyattsville.
Scott Holmer, 33, graduated from Georgetown University in 2002 and worked as the freshman Religion teacher, English teacher and Campus Minister at DeMatha Catholic High School. Scott was the goalie and captain of the seminary soccer team at Theological College. He also enjoys water skiing, racquetball and tennis. He first considered the priesthood at age 19 when he was inspired by the late Georgetown University theology professor, Fr. Thomas King, who would celebrate Mass by candlelight daily at 11:15p.m. “His love of the Eucharist was contagious and he invited me to discern a call to the priesthood. I wanted to experience the same joy and happiness hat he exuded in his priestly ministry.” Father Holmer will celebrate his first Mass on June 15, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda.
Samuel Plummer, 32, graduated from Belmont Abbey College with a degree in accounting in 2003, entered seminary after first considering the priesthood at age 5. He left after a year and decided to work as a marketing research analyst. In 2010, he entered seminary at Mount Saint Mary’s. “I had a strong desire to help people in need.” Samuel walked across the country with the pro-life group, Crossroads, which was founded as a response to Blessed John Paul II’s call to the youth of the world to take an active role in the pro-life movement in order to establish a culture of life. Father Plummer will celebrate his first Mass on June 16, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church in Waldorf.
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The Archdiocese of Washington is home to over 620,000 Catholics, 139 parishes and 97 Catholic schools, located in Washington, DC, and five Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s.
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