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Five continue path to priesthood


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Catholic Review Filed Under: #IamCatholic, Feature, Local News, News, Vocations

Five men will be ordained to the transitional diaconate May 15 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland, the penultimate step in their journey to becoming priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Three of the men are from Cameroon, a west African nation where the archdiocese began a partnership in 2016.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the 10 a.m. Mass is by invitation only; a livestream will be available at archbalt.org.

Capsule biographies of the five, compiled with information provided by the archdiocese, follow.

Maurice Afor

Maurice Afor

Age: 32

Hometown: Nkambe, Cameroon

Sponsoring Parish: St. Philip Neri, Linthicum Heights

Education: St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui, Cameroon; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore

Pastoral assignments: St. Mary’s, Diocese of Kumbo, Cameroon; Immaculate Heart of Mary, Towson; Catholic Community of South Baltimore; St. Mark, Fallston; Sacred Heart, Glyndon

Did you know? Through his discernment, Afor has enjoyed teaching doctrine, visiting the homebound, and bringing Communion to those in hospitals.

James M. Bors

James M. Bors

Age: 60

Hometown: New Carrollton

Sponsoring Parish: St. Andrew by the Bay, Annapolis

Education: St. Mary’s Parish school, Landover; U.S. Naval Academy; master’s degree from George Washington University; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg

Pastoral assignments: St. Bernardine, Baltimore; Our Lady of Grace, Parkton; St. John, Westminster

Did you know? Bors’ wife of 25 years, Shirley, died in 2010. The father of two adult sons, Michael and Jeffrey, Bors served as a naval officer on a Los Angeles-class submarine and taught at the Naval Academy.

Peter Kiamo-oh

Peter Kiamo-oh

Age: 28

Hometown: Jakiri, Cameroon

Sponsoring Parish: St. Ursula, Parkville

Education: Catholic Primary School in Jakiri; St. Aloysius Minor Seminary, Cameroon; St. John Mary Vianney Spiritual Formation Center, Bafut, Cameroon; St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui, Cameroon; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg

Pastoral assignments: St. Kizito, Melim-Kumbo Diocese, Cameroon; St. Ursula, Parkville; St. Agnes, Catonsville, and St. William of York, Baltimore; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ellicott City; Our Lady of the Presentation, Poolesvile, Archdiocese of Washington

Did you know? Kiamo-Oh is one of seven children, including a twin brother, Paul Kongnyuy, who is also a seminarian for the archdiocese.

Kenneth Lukong

Kenneth Lukong

Age: 30

Hometown: Kumbo, Cameroon

Sponsoring Parish: St. Philip Neri, Linthicum Heights

Education: 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, Baltimore

Pastoral assignments: Immaculate Conception, Towson; St. Casimir, Canton;

St. Joseph, Cockeysville

Did you know? The youngest of seven siblings, Lukong has developed an affinity for visiting the sick and homebound, and teaching, especially in RCIA.

David C.F. Ray

David C.F. Ray

Age: 57

Hometown: Alexandria, Va.

Sponsoring Parish: St. Philip Neri, Linthicum Heights

Education: Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington, Va.; George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore

Pastoral assignments: St. Bartholomew, Manchester; St. Francis Xavier, Hunt Valley; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Essex; Immaculate Conception, Towson;  St. Isaac Jogues, Carney; St. Louis, Clarksville

Did you know? Ray learned his prayers, and Spanish, from his late mother, Ada, who was born in Peru. He spent nearly three decades working for nonprofit agencies.

For more information about religious vocations in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, click here.

Email Paul McMullen at pmcmullen@CatholicReview.org

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