The Most Reverend Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, will preside over a Mass of Ordination and confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders upon the seven men entering the priesthood tomorrow, Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn.
This sacred celebration marks a moment of great joy for the Diocese as these men commit their lives in service to God and the people of Brooklyn and Queens. The seven include two Brooklyn-born priests, a native of France, two men from Mexico, one from Colombia, and one from Nigeria. Prior to entering the seminary, these men served in a variety of professions including teaching, hospitality, and auto mechanics. The seven ordinands include:
Deacon Benoit Chavanne, a native of France, participated in various missionary trips prior to joining the seminary. It was on a mission trip in 2014 to Chile with Con-solatio, a Brooklyn-based non-profit rooted in the Catholic faith, that confirmed for him his desire to become a priest. He enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and sports.
Deacon Juan Herrera grew up in Medellín, Colombia, and worked as a teacher for 7 years after graduating college. He plays guitar and makes rosaries, skills he plans to use to connect with the faithful in the pews.
Deacon Callistus Ibeh, born and raised in Nigeria, knew he wanted to become a priest since the age of 8. He came to the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2016, attended St. John’s University, and later enrolled in St. Joseph’s Seminary and College. He is looking forward to bringing people into the Church as part of his priestly ministry.
Deacon Robert Ruggiero grew up in Red Hook and attended Sacred Hearts St. Stephen Parish in Carroll Gardens. He previously served as a director of religious education and a pastoral associate in parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Deacon Paulo Salazar is a native of Jackson Heights, Queens, and the parish of St. Joan of Arc. He is an avid basketball player who studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he learned an important lesson from Pope Francis, who told the seminarians to ‘pray, get a good night’s sleep, and play sports.’
Deacon Alvaro Morales Sanchez was born in Mexico and moved with his family to New Jersey at the age of 9. His career began as a mechanic repairing diesel engines in trucks before responding to God’s calling to become a priest.
Deacon Gerardo Tlatelpa, born and raised in Chinantla, Mexico, moved to Brooklyn at 20 years old and began working in restaurants. He became an active parishioner of Our Lady of Refuge Church in Flatbush before entering the seminary.
The newly ordained priests will begin their assignments in parishes across the Diocese following the ordination.
The Ordination Mass will be broadcast live on NET-TV, the cable channel of the Diocese of Brooklyn. NET-TV can be found on Spectrum channel 97, Optimum channel 30, and FiOS channel 548. The Mass will also be live-streamed at netny.tv/watch-now.
Members of the media are welcome and asked to confirm their attendance.
###
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Adriana Rodriguez
(718) 517-3143
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org
John Quaglione
(718) 517-3112
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org
