Bishop announces priest transfers

Compiled by Tanya Connor

This year’s changes in priests’ assignments bring new pastors or administrators to 14 parishes and a mission and new chaplains to two colleges. These positions need filling because six priests are retiring and others are going for further studies. Eight transitional deacons being ordained priests June 20 are joining priests being assigned to ministry in different parishes.
All changes are effective July 1, unless otherwise noted.
Father Charles R. Armey, pastor of Our Lady of Loreto Parish, Worcester, is retiring.
Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone is becoming Our Lady of Loreto’s pastor, while remaining pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Ann Parish, Worcester. Both parishes have Italian roots. Msgr. Pedone is also remaining diocesan judicial vicar/vicar for canonical affairs.
Our Lady of Loreto is getting a part-time associate pastor, Father Jesus E. Martínez, who is part-time associate pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and director of prison ministry at Worcester County Jail and House of Correction. He is to live at St. Stephen Parish’s rectory, Worcester.
Our Lady of Loreto and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes have been clustered for a few years and have done some things together.  Our Lady of Lourdes’ pastor, Father James B. O’Shea, is retiring Sept. 1.
Father Brian P. O’Toole is to succeed Father O’Shea as Our Lady of Lourdes’ pastor Jan. 1, 2016, upon completing sabbatical studies. Father O’Toole, pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and Sacred

Heart of Jesus parishes, Gardner, begins his studies July 1.
Father Thomas M. Tokarz is pastor of the other two Gardner parishes: St. Joseph and Holy Spirit. He is succeeding Father Robert M. Spellman, who is retiring, as pastor of St. Joseph the Good Provider Parish, Berlin.
The four Gardner parishes are merging to form Annunciation Parish. Father Joseph J. Jurgelonis is becoming Annunciation’s pastor.
Succeeding Father Jurgelonis as pastor of Holy Cross Parish, East Templeton, and St. Martin Mission, Otter River, is Father Marcin W. Nowicki, associate pastor of St. Mary Parish, Shrewsbury. Succeeding him as St. Mary’s associate pastor Aug. 1 is Father Juan D. Escudero, newly ordained.
Father James F. Carmody, pastor of St. Peter Parish, Northbridge, is retiring. Father Thomas G. Landry, sacramental assistant at St. Cecilia Parish, Leominster, is becoming St. Peter’s administrator.
Father John E. Horgan, pastor of St. Denis Parish, Ashburnham, and St. Anne Parish, South Ashburnham, is retiring. Father John F. Hamm is becoming administrator for the two parishes.
Msgr. John E. Doran, pastor of St. Leo Parish, Leominster, is retiring. Succeeding him as pastor is Father William E. Champlin, pastor of St. Edward the Confessor Parish, Westminster. Succeeding Father Champlin as St. Edward’s pastor is Father Kevin F. Hartford.
Father Hartford left his pastorate at St. Joseph Parish in North Brookfield last year to explore consecrated life in the monastic tradition. Recently he has been serving as temporary administrator at Prince of Peace Parish, Princeton. Father James J. Caldarella, former pastor at Prince of Peace, will continue as full time diocesan minister to priests. Father Eric K. Asante is the new  administrator for Prince of Peace, while remaining diocesan director of African Ministry.
College ministry changes are also coming.
On Aug. 1 Father Juan D. Echavarria leaves for Canon Law studies at The Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is chaplain at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and does part-time Hispanic Ministry at St. Peter Parish and St. Andrew Mission, Worcester.
Father Hugo A. Cano is to succeed him at WPI Aug. 1 and live at St. Paul Cathedral’s rectory. To succeed Father Cano as associate pastor of St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish, Clinton, on Aug. 1 is Father Juan S. Ramirez, newly ordained.
On Aug. 1, Father Andres A. Araque, newly ordained, is to become part-time associate pastor at both St. Peter’s and St. Joan of Arc parishes, Worcester, with residence at St. Joan of Arc.
On Sept. 1 Father Anthony Mpagi is becoming Catholic chaplain at Fitchburg State University, while remaining pastor of St. Boniface Parish, Lunenburg. He is succeeding Deacon Benjamin A. Nogueira who recently retired from campus ministry at Fitchburg State.
In another change, two priests are switching parishes. Father Leo-Paul LeBlanc, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Winchendon, is becoming pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Fitchburg. St. Anthony’s pastor, Father Michael J. Clements, is becoming administrator in Winchendon.
Father Thien X. Nguyen is becoming administrator of St. Theresa Parish, Blackstone, where he is now associate pastor. This means Father D. Timothy O’Mara will no longer be St. Theresa’s administrator, but he is to remain pastor of St. Paul Parish, Blackstone.
Redemptorist Father Adriano Natalino is moving from the Portuguese/Brazilian Community at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Milford, to priestly ministry to the Brazilian Community at St. Stephen Parish, Worcester, with residence at St. Stephen’s, effective Aug. 1.
Father Mateus Monteiro de Souza, newly ordained, is being assigned to priestly ministry at the Milford Portuguese/Brazilian Community, effective Aug. 1. He hails from Brazil.
Changes involving associate pastor assignments include the following.
Father Edward Michalski is becoming part-time associate pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, Worcester, while serving as sacramental assistant.
Father Carlos A. Ruiz, newly ordained, is to become associate pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Leominster, Aug. 1.
Father Daniel E. Moreno, newly ordained, it to become associate pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, Linwood and St. Augustine Parish, Millville, with residence at Good Shepherd, Aug. 1.
Two others to be ordained June 20 begin parish ministry this summer, then go on for further studies. Father Donato Infante III is being assigned to Christ the King Parish, Worcester, and is to return to Rome for further studies this fall. Father Stephen E. Lundrigan is to assist in priestly ministry at St. Cecilia Parish, Leominster, and do further studies at Boston College in September, with residence at St. Cecilia’s.

Diaconate ordinations set for Saturday; priest ordination June 20

Two diocesan ordination Masses are scheduled for this month. All are welcome to attend.
Saturday, June 6, Bishop McManus is to ordain seven men permanent deacons at a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Paul Cathedral. They are Christopher R. Finan, Bryan P. A. Lagimoniere, David O. Lajoie, Thomas E. Marshall, Van X. Nguyen, Paul J. Reuter and Thomas J. Varney.
On June 20, Bishop McManus is to ordain eight transitional deacons to the priesthood at a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Paul Cathedral. They are Deacons Andres A. Araque, Juan D. Escudero, Donato Infante III, Stephen E. Lundrigan, Mateus Monteiro De Souza, Daniel E. Moreno, Juan S. Ramirez and Carlos A. Ruiz.
Both ordinations can be watched live on the diocesan website, www.worcesterdiocese.org, by clicking on the applicable link.
The permanent diaconate ordination is to be broadcast on Charter TV3 (Cable Channel 193) at 1 p.m. Sunday and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The priestly ordination is to be broadcast on Charter TV3 (Cable Channel 193) from 1-3 p.m. June 21 and 9:30-11:30 a.m. June 23 and June 24.