Archbishop William E. Lori will ordain nine men transitional deacons during a 10 a.m. Mass May 21 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Ordination to the transitional diaconate is the penultimate step toward ordination to the priesthood.
The liturgy is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the YouTube page of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.
Capsule profiles of the men to be ordained follow:
Daniel Acquard
Age: 26
Hometown: Fulton
Sponsoring parish: Pastorate of St. Francis of Assisi, Fulton, and St. Louis, Clarksville
Education: Hammond Elementary School, Laurel; Hammond Middle School, Laurel; Reservoir High School, Fulton; St. John Paul II Seminary, Washington D.C.; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg
Pastoral assignments: Immaculate Conception, Towson; Sacred Heart, Glyndon; Institute for Priestly Formation, Omaha, Neb.; Catholic Community of Ascension and St. Augustine, Halethorpe and Elkridge; St. John the Evangelist, Severna Park (pastoral year); Pastorate of St. Francis of Assisi, Fulton, and St. Louis, Clarksville
Did you know? Acquard has two brothers, including an identical twin. He is a chaplain candidate officer (CCPO) in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
John Bilenki
Age: 27
Hometown: Woodstock
Sponsoring parish: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, Woodstock
Education: St. Agnes Elementary School, Catonsville; Mount St. Joseph High School, Irvington; Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg; St Mary’s Seminary and University, Roland Park; Pontifical North American College, Rome
Pastoral assignments: St. Ignatius, Hickory; Our Lady of Victory, Arbutus; St. John the Evangelist, Severna Park
Did you know? Bilenki comes from a musical family and enjoys playing piano and guitar. He served as a tour guide at the Vatican necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Javier A. Fuentes Cabrera
Age: 30
Hometown: Frederick (born in San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Sponsoring parish: St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor (Frederick/Buckeystown)
Education: Kendrick High School, Columbus, Ga.; University of Maryland, College Park; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Roland Park
Pastoral assignments: Esperanza Center, Fells Point; St. Agnes, Catonsville; St. William of York, Baltimore; Resurrection of Our Lord, Laurel; Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Highlandtown; St. John, Westminster; University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson; St. Joseph, Cockeysville; Sacred Heart, Glyndon
Did you know? Cabrera worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt in the Planetary Environments Laboratory and assisted with work on the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Mars Rover).
Rondall Cantwell Howard III
Age: 30
Hometown: Glen Burnie
Sponsoring parish: Christ the King, Glen Burnie
Education: Southgate Elementary, Old Mill Middle North, Millersville; Old Mill High School, Millersville; The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg
Pastoral assignments: Christ the King, Glen Burnie; Resurrection/St. Paul, Ellicott City; St. Mark, Fallston
Did you know? Howard is a former car mechanic. While in seminary, he traveled to Mexico City to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and participated in World Youth Day in Panama.
Paul Kongnyuy
Age: 29
Hometown: Jakiri, Cameroon
Sponsoring parish: St. Ursula, Parkville
Education: Catholic Primary School, Jakiri; St. Aloysius Minor Seminary, Kitiwum, Cameroon; St. John Mary Vianney Spiritual Formation Center, Bafut, Cameroon; St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui, Cameroon; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Roland Park
Pastoral assignments: St. Rita’s Technical High School, Nkambe; St. Bartholomew, Manchester; St. Joan of Arc, Aberdeen; the Catholic Community of Ascension and St. Augustine, Halethorpe and Elkridge; St. John the Evangelist, Frederick; St. Joseph, Buckeystown; Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore
Did you know? Kongnyuy has an identical twin brother, Deacon Peter Kiamo-oh, who was ordained a deacon last year for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He has a personal devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rosary.
Luke Koski
Age: 27
Hometown: Perry Hall
Sponsoring parish: Immaculate Conception, Towson
Education: Seven Oaks Elementary, Odenton; Pine Grove Middle School, Baltimore; Calvert Hall College High School, Towson; Towson University; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg.
Pastoral assignments: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Crofton; Holy Family, Randallstown; Our Lady of Grace, Parkton; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ellicott City; Christ the King, Glen Burnie
Did you know? Koski has been studying American Sign Language for the past several years. His parents, Matt and Patti, started a camp for children with autism. Koski and his three siblings assisted with the camp.
Felix E. Mmuoh
Age: 30
Hometown: Ufuma, Anambra State, Nigeria
Sponsoring parish: St. Clare, Essex
Education: Demonstration Primary School, Awka; St. Dominic Savio Minor Seminary, Akpu; St. John Bosco Minor Seminary, Isuaniocha; Holy Family Spiritual Formation Center Okpuno-Awka; Bigard Memorial Major Seminary, Enugu; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg
Pastoral assignments: St Clare, Essex; St. Ignatius of Loyola, Ijamsville; St. John, Westminster.
Did you know? Mmuoh is the fourth of five siblings. He enjoys teaching the Scriptures and visiting the sick and homebound. He has a cousin who is a nun.
Nicholas Mwai
Age: 43
Hometown: Nanyuki, Kenya
Education: Garrison Primary School, Kenya; Nanyuki High School, Kenya; Kenya Red Cross Training Institute; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Roland Park
Pastoral assignments: Sacred Heart, Glyndon; Holy Family, Randallstown; St. Ursula, Parkville; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Crofton; St. Ignatius, Hickory
Did you know? It was while serving as a paramedic in Kenya that Mwai felt called to the priesthood. He was also a monk in a Benedictine monastery in New Mexico prior to joining the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Sampson Onwumere
Age: 36
Hometown: Okigwe, Imo State, Nigeria
Sponsoring parish: St. Isaac Jogues, Carney
Education: Aku Central School, Nigeria; St. Peter’s Seminary, Okigwe, Nigeria; Seat of Wisdom Seminary, Owerri, Nigeria; Bigard Memorial Major Seminary, Enugu, Nigeria; St. Leo University, St. Leo, Fla.
Pastoral assignments: Catholic Community of South Florida; St. Bartholomew, Manchester; Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, Bel Air; Our Lady of the Chesapeake, Lake Shore; St. Ignatius, Hickory
Did you know? Onwumere loves listening to music. He comes from a family of six. In ministry, he loves being present to people, serving them and sharing the joy of his faith with them.
Email George P. Matysek Jr. at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
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