Bishop McManus has announced new or altered assignments for 21 priests, retirements for seven others, and two parish mergers.
The four men ordained priests June 2 are becoming associate pastors: Father Eric K. Asante at St. George Parish, Worcester; Father Hugo A. Cano at St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish, Clinton; Father Michael J. Clements at St. Joseph Parish, Fitchburg, and Jonathan J. Slavinskas at Blessed John Paul II Parish, Southbridge.
St. Anne Parish in Manchaug is being merged with St. Mark Parish in Sutton, which will keep its pastor. Our Lady Queen of Heaven Mission in South Royalston is being merged with Our Lady Immaculate Parish in Athol, and the associate pastor will become pastor.
Two other priests are also becoming pastors for the first time. Two associate pastors who were once pastors are becoming pastors again.
One pastor is becoming an associate pastor in two parishes and an assistant hospital chaplain. Another associate pastor is changing one of his two parishes.
Six present pastors are changing parishes. One is adding a parish.
Two Worcester Diocesan priests are changing their assignments in academic settings outside the diocese. Biographies follow.

Father Ernest P. Allega
Father Ernest P. Allega, pastor of Thomas-a-Becket Parish, South Barre, will become pastor of St. Denis Parish, East Douglas.
He was born on Oct. 23, 1949, in Westfield, the son of Ernest P. and Anna Frances (Andreotti) Allega.
He graduated in 1967 from St. John High School in Shrewsbury. He studied for the priesthood at St. Charles College, Catonsville, Md.; St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, Md., and St. John Seminary, Brighton, where he received a master of divinity degree.
He was ordained a priest on June 5, 1976, by Bishop Flanagan in St. Paul Cathedral.
He served as associate pastor at the following parishes: St. Roch, Oxford; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Gardner; St. Rose of Lima, Northborough, and St. Joseph and St. Pius X, Leicester.
On June 28, 1991, he was named pastor of Ascension Parish, Worcester. He was named pastor, on July 1, 1994, of St. Mary Parish, Uxbridge, and, on Sept. 29, 2000, was named pastor of St. Thomas-a-Becket Parish.

Father Timothy M. Brewer
Father Timothy M. Brewer, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Leominster, will become pastor of St. Mary Parish, Jefferson.
He was born Feb. 9, 1953 in Worcester, the son of Myles M. and Phyllis (Siemietkowski) Brewer.
He  attended Worcester schools and St. John High School, Shrewsbury. He graduated in 1975 from the College of the Holy Cross. He studied for the priesthood at St. Bernard Seminary, Rochester, where he earned a master in divinity degree. He also received a degree in pastoral ministry from Assumption College.
He was ordained a priest on Nov. 10, 1979, by Bishop Flanagan in St. Paul Cathedral.
He has served as associate pastor at St. Bernard Parish, Fitchburg; St. Boniface Parish, Lunenburg and St. Bernard Parish, Worcester.  He was also a chaplain at Worcester State College.
On June 20, 1997,  he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish.

Father Michael A. DiGeronimo
Father Michael A. DiGeronimo, pastor of St. Mark Parish, Sutton, will retain that position and also will be pastor of St. Anne Chapel, Manchaug, which will merge with St. Mark’s on June 30.
He was born on Sept. 24, 1950, in Fitchburg, the son of Antonio and Antonina (Nitti) DiGeronimo.
He graduated in 1968 from Leominster High School and in 1972 from  Assumption College. He studied for the priesthood at St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, Md.
He was ordained a priest on June 12, 1976, by Bishop Flanagan in St. Paul Cathedral.
He served as associate pastor of Mt. Carmel/St. Anne Parish and Our Lady of Loreto Parish, both in Worcester.
On April 6, 1979, he was appointed co-pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Milford. He served as associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Auburn; Christ the King Parish, Worcester; St. Anna Parish, Leominster, and St. Boniface Parish, Lunenburg.
On June 26, 1992, he was named pastor of St. Joseph and St. Pius X Parishes, Leicester. On July 1, 2009, he was named pastor of St. Mark Parish.

Father Patrick J. Hawthorne
Father Patrick J. Hawthorne, pastor of St. Anne Parish, Manchaug, will become pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Worcester.
He  was born in Worcester on Nov. 5, 1957, the son of Patrick J. and Rita (Casa) Hawthorne.
He graduated from Burncoat High School in 1975 and from Worcester State College in 1978 before studying for the priesthood at Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, NY.
He was ordained a priest on Nov. 20, 1982, by Bishop Flanagan in St. Paul Cathedral. He has served as associate pastor of St. Joan of Arc and St. Stephen parishes, Worcester; Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Gardner; St. Joseph Parish, Auburn; St. Joseph and St. Pius X Parishes, Leicester, and St. Brigid Parish, Millbury.
He was appointed pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish, Worcester, on June 18, 1993. On July 1, 2008, Father Hawthorne was named pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Auburn. He was named pastor on July 1, 2011, of St. Anne Parish.

Father Krzysztof Korcz
Father Krzysztof Korcz, associate pastor of Our Lady Immaculate and St. Francis of Assisi parishes, Athol, St. Peter Parish, Petersham, and Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Mission, South Royalston, will become pastor of those parishes and Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Chapel.
He was born May 1, 1967, in Radom, Poland, son of Ignazy Eward and Gabriela (Spotowicz) Korcz.
He graduated from the Technical Automobile High School in 1988 and studied for the priesthood from 1988 to 1991 at the Seminary of Sandomierz, and from 1991 to 1994 at the Seminary of Radom, Poland.
He was ordained a priest on May 28, 1994, by Bishop Edward Materski in the Cathedral of the Diocese of Radom. He served as associate pastor in four parishes in Poland before coming to the United States.
He was associate pastor from Jan. 11, 2001 to Dec. 16, 2001, at St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, St. Louis, Mo. From Dec. 17, 2001 to June 30, 2002,  he was visiting priest at St. Joseph Basilica Parish, Webster.
He served from June 2, 2002 to June 30, 2009, as associate pastor at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, Worcester. He was incardinated on July 12, 2007 as a priest of the Worcester Diocese. He was associate pastor from July 1, 2009 to Jan. 30, 2010, at  St. Ann and St. Matthew parishes in Southborough before his assignment in Athol.
On Nov. 23, 2010, Father Korcz, who speaks Polish, English, German, Russian, Greek and Latin, became a citizen of the United States.

Father Paul M. LaPalme
Father Paul M. LaPalme, pastor of St. Brigid Parish, Millbury, will retain that position and also will be pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Millbury.
He was born Nov. 3, 1957, in Springfield, son of Eugene and Rita (Moras) LaPalme.
He graduated from Springfield Cathedral High School in 1975 and from Holyoke Community College in 1978. He graduated from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J., in 1981.
He was organist and choir director at St. Alphonsus Parish in Hopewell, N.J., from 1978 to 1988. He was a mortgage banker in Princeton, N.J., from 1981 to 1985, assistant to the executive vice president at BRS Information Technologies in New York City from 1985 to 1987 and customer service manager for the NCR Corp. in West Windsor, N.J., from 1987 to 1988.
He entered St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, Md., in 1988 and received his bachelor’s degree in Theology in 1991. He received his master’s degree in Theology in 1997 from Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans, La.
He was ordained May 3, 1997, at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria, La. He served as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Marks Ville, La., from July 1997, to June 1998, and at St. Rita Parish in Alexandria from July 1998, to June 1999.
He came to the Diocese of Worcester and served at St. Joseph Basilica in Webster from July 1999, to July 2001 He was named associate pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in July 2001. He was incardinated a Worcester diocesan priest in October 2002.
He was appointed pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Gilbertville on Aug. 8, 2003. On July 1, 2006, he was named pastor of St. Brigid Parish.

Father Michael N. Lavallee
Father Michael N. Lavallee, associate pastor at St. George Parish, Worcester, will become pastor of St. Thomas-a-Becket Parish, South Barre.
He was born on Nov. 12, 1973, in Worcester, the son of Normand R. and Barbara E. (Greene) Lavallee.
He graduated from Northbridge High School in 1991. He graduated from Quinsigamond Community College in 1993 and, in 1996, with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Assumption College. In 2000 he earned a master’s degree in Religious Education from Assumption.
He was a reporter for The Catholic Free Press before he began studies for the priesthood and now writes a weekly column titled “Sunday’s Epistle” for the paper.
He studied for the priesthood at St. John Seminary, Brighton, from 1999 through 2005. On June 4, 2005, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Robert J. McManus at St. Paul Cathedral.
He has served as associate pastor at St. Cecilia Parish, Leominster; St. John the Evangelist, Clinton, and  St. George Parish.

Father John M. Lizewski
Father John M. Lizewski, associate pastor at Christ the King Parish, Worcester, will become pastor of St. Aloysius-St. Jude Parish, Leicester.
He was born April 5, 1955, in Worcester, the son of Edward J. and Helen C. (Pogorzelski) Lizewski.
He attended St. Mary Elementary School and graduated in 1973 from St Mary High School in Worcester. He graduated from Worcester State College in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in history and, in 1983, earned a master’s degree in education.
He taught at St Bernard Central Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School, both in Fitchburg, and at St. Mary High School.
He studied for the priesthood at Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston and was ordained a priest June 5, 1999, by Bishop Reilly in St Paul Cathedral.
He served as associate pastor at St. Patrick Parish, Whitinsville; administrator at St. Stanislaus Parish, West Warren; pastor at St. Stanislaus Parish, West Warren; Chaplain at Anna Maria College, Paxton, and associate pastor at Christ the King Parish.

Father Joseph A. Marcotte
Father Joseph A. Marcotte, pastor of St. Louis Parish, Webster, will become pastor of St. Anthony of Padua, Dudley.
He was born on Aug. 2, 1943, in Worcester, the son of Joseph A. and Bertha (Desy) Marcotte.
He graduated in 1961 from South High School, Worcester,  and  in 1965, from the College of the Holy Cross.
He studied for the priesthood at the North American College, Rome from 1966 to 1970.
He was ordained a priest on Dec. 19, 1969 by Bishop James A. Hickey in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.
He served as associate pastor at Our Lady Immaculate Parish, Athol; Christ the King Parish, Worcester, and St Bernard Parish, Fitchburg, before being named pastor of St. Louis Parish on July 13, 1984.

Father Dennis J. O’Brien
Father Dennis O’Brien, associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Fitchburg, will become pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Leominster.
He was born on June 17, 1951, in Whitinsville, son of William F. and Rita (Ducharme) O’Brien.
He attended St. Patrick School in Whitinsville and graduated from St. Mary Central Catholic High School in Milford in 1969.
He studied for the priesthood at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, Conn., St. John Seminary, Brighton, and the North American College, Rome.
While in Rome, he studied at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas where he received his bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology in 1976.
He was ordained by Bishop Flanagan on June 18, 1977, in St. Paul Cathedral.  Following ordination he was assigned for the summer to Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Hopedale.
He then returned to Rome for graduate studies at the Institute of Spirituality of the Pontifical Gregorian University. He received his licenciate in Sacred Theology in 1978 and returned to Sacred Heart Parish as associate pastor.
In July 1981, he was assigned to the faculty of St. Bernard Central Catholic High School, Fitchburg. In April 1984, he was named to the faculty of Holy Name Central Catholic High School and, on July 11, 1986, he was appointed headmaster. He received his master’s degree in administration and supervision from Boston College in 1985.
In 1993, he entered the novitiate of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance at St. Joseph Abbey, Spencer. He spent nearly four years with the Trappist community – from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2000.
In 1996, he was appointed the first director of the Father James Fitton House for Priestly Formation in Leicester and also taught in the diocesan Permanent Diaconate Program.
He was named co-pastor of Ascension Parish, Worcester, in June 1989, while remaining as headmaster at Holy Name. He has served as associate pastor of St. Leo Parish, Leominster, and St. Mary Parish in Shrewsbury.
On June 25, 2005 he was named pastor of  St. Theresa the Little Flower Parish in Harvard. After spending time at St. Joseph Abbey he was named associate pastor at St. Joseph’s Parish, Fitchburg.

Father Miguel A. Pagán
Father Miguel A. Pagán, associate pastor of St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish, Clinton and co-chaplain of the Holy Trinity Evangelization Center in Leominster, will become pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Worcester.
He was born October 20, 1970 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rice, the son of Miguel A. Pagán Martínez and Francisca Candelaria Vincenty.
He attended high school at Segundo Ruíz Belvis, graduating in 1988. Later that year, he began pre-seminary preparation at Pre-Seminario San Ildefonso.
He entered Regina Cleri Seminary in 1989. He also attended the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, where he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
He took a leave from the seminary in 1994 and worked briefly in a factory. He came to Worcester in 1996 at the invitation of Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, diocesan director of vocations, and entered the  Father James Fitton House for Priestly Formations.
He returned to Puerto Rico in 1997, where he spent three years working as a hospice counselor. He re-entered Father Fitton House in 2000 and began taking English as Second Language courses at Assumption College and Anna Maria College.
In 2001, he resumed his studies for the priesthood at St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore, earning his master of divinity degree.
He was ordained a priest on June 5, 2004, by Bishop McManus in St. Paul Cathedral.
He was associate pastor at St. Peter Parish, Worcester. On July 1, 2009, he was named associate pastor of St. John, the Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton and co-chaplain of the Holy Trinity Evangelization Center in Leominster.

Father José Andres Rodríguez
Father José Andres Rodríguez, pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, will become pastor of Holy Family of Nazareth Parish in Leominster and chaplain of the Holy Trinity Evangelization Center in that city.
He was born on July 3, 1968, in Chicago, son of Heriberto and Barbara (Waitkus) Rodríguez.
He attended grammar school and graduated in 1986 from San Conrado High School in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez in 1990 with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry. He studied philosophy at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico and theology at St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore, graduating in 1995.
He was ordained a priest June 23, 1995, by Bishop Reilly in St. Mary Church, Southbridge. He was the first Hispanic priest for the Diocese of Worcester.
He has served as associate pastor at St. Peter Parish. He is liaison of the diocesan Hispanic Ministry and is a member of the diocesan Vocations Board.
He opened a diocesan Office for Hispanic Ministry at St. Bernard Parish in 2001. He also celebrated Mass at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Westborough for the growing Hispanic community there.
On June 14, 2002, he was named pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, became pastor on July 7, 2006, of St. Bernard Parish and returned as pastor of St. Joan of Arc on July 1, 2008, when he also was appointed director of Priest Personnel for the diocese.

Father William F. Sanders
Father William F. Sanders, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, will become pastor of St. Louis Parish, Webster.
He was born on Oct. 22, 1949, in Worcester, the son of William R. and Julia A. (Vilkas) Sanders.
He graduated in 1967 from St. Stephen Central Catholic High School.
He studied for the priesthood from 1967 to 1969 at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, Conn., and from 1969 to 1975 at St. John Seminary, Brighton.
He was ordained on May 3, 1975, by Bishop Flanagan in St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Milford.
He was named associate pastor of St. Bernard Parish, Fitchburg, and a faculty member of St. Bernard Central Catholic High School.  He was associate pastor of St. Mary Parish, Shrewsbury, and of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Worcester and part-time associate at St. Andrew Parish in Worcester. On Nov. 15, 1985, he was named head the Permanent Diaconate Program which selects, trains and supervises permanent deacons of the diocese.
He was appointed pastor of St. Stephen Parish, Worcester, on Jan. 23, 1987. On April 12, 2002, he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary, Worcester.

In other assignments, Father Richard Jakubauskas, pastor of Our Lady Immaculate and Francis of Assisi Parishes, Athol, St. Peter’s Parish, Petersham and Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Chapel, South Royalston, will become assistant chaplaain at UMASS Memorial Hospitals, and associate pastor of St. Peter’s and St. Joan of Arc Parishes, Worcester.
Msgr. James A. Mongelluzzo will leave the faculty of the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College and join the faculty of Blessed John XXIII Seminary, Weston, effective Aug. 1.
Msgr. James P. Moroney, a member of the faculty at St. John’s Seminary, Brighton, will become rector, effective July 1.

Parish and mission merge

A parish and a mission in the diocese are being merged into nearby parishes and their buildings are being designated as chapels, Bishop McManus announced this week.
St. Anne Parish in the Manchaug section of Sutton is being merged with St. Mark Parish in Sutton.
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Mission in South Royalston is being merged with Our Lady Immaculate Parish in Athol.
In decrees dated June 11, Bishop McManus said the changes will take effect at 12:01 a.m. June 30.
The newly merged entities will be territorial parishes keeping the name of the receiving parish: Our Lady Immaculate Parish and St. Mark Parish.
Our Lady Queen of Heaven has been a quasi-parish, or mission, of Our Lady Immaculate, whose pastor is also pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Athol and St. Peter Parish in Petersham.
Also effective June 30, Father Krzysztof Korcz becomes pastor of these parishes. He is currently their associate pastor. The current pastor, Father Richard A. Jakubauskas, is to be associate pastor of St. Peter and St. Joan of Arc parishes in Worcester and assistant chaplain at UMass Memorial Hospitals. He will reside at St. Joan of Arc.
Father Michael A. DiGeronimo, currently St. Mark’s  pastor, will be pastor of the merged parish. St. Anne’s pastor, Father Patrick J. Hawthorne, is to be pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Worcester.
The four church buildings will retain their present names, but the two being merged will be called chapels. The Eucharist is to continue to be reserved in the chapels in which liturgical celebrations such as baptisms and funerals can be held at the pastors’ discretion, according to Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, judicial vicar/vicar for canonical affairs.
The diocesan Pastoral Planning Committee recommended the mergers after listening to the pastors of St. Anne’s and Our Lady Immaculate and studying the matter extensively, Bishop McManus says in the decrees.
The bishop listened to the Pastoral Planning Committee, then consulted the presbyteral council as required by Church law, said Msgr. Pedone, a member of the committee and its canonical adviser. He said the council voted unanimously for the mergers.
“No one likes to lose their home, but we have to make these changes because we feel they will better serve the needs of the people,” Msgr. Pedone said.
“It’s nice to have small, intimate parish communities, but we don’t have the resources we used to,” in finances and numbers of priests, he said. So sometimes that means downsizing the number of buildings to put the resources toward ministerial programs, he said. And, he said, joining the few members of a small parish with a larger parish can make the latter more vibrant.
St. Mark’s, on Boston Road, is to assume the goods and assets, including property and patrimonial rights, as well as burdens and liabilities of St. Anne’s, at 29 Main St., the decree says. St. Mark’s is to accommodate St. Anne’s spiritual traditions.
Our Lady Immaculate, at 244 School St., is to assume the goods and assets, including property and patrimonial rights, as well as burdens and liabilities of Our Lady Queen of Heaven, on Route 68, the decree says.