Journey to the priesthood in Baltimore: 9 to be ordained transitional deacons

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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