WASHINGTON – The release of the study of the Ordination Class of 2020 reveals a great sign of life and hope in the Church in the United States, despite the uncertainty in the world brought by the coronavirus pandemic. At a moment when the faithful are prone to despair and struggle with the sadness of not having the sacraments available, and the public celebration of the Mass suspended, this profile of the 2020 Ordination Class is a ray of light. It is a tangible sign of God’s continued care for His Church.
As a part of its mandate, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations sponsors an annual survey, in conjunction with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), of the members of the current year’s ordination class. Each of the men to be ordained in the coming months shows the loving work of God to sustain his Church through the calling of new priests to minister his saving sacraments and preach the Good News. The survey shows a wide variety of men from varied backgrounds who have all responded to God’s call to serve his people. More statistics and information.
May 3 is Good Shepherd Sunday (World Day of Prayer for Vocations), a day to publicly fulfill the Lord's instruction to, "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2).
Please pray for all of our seminarians and that more young men and women hear and respond generously to the Lord's call to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life. Download prayer card (PDF)
In the Diocese of Raleigh, Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama will ordain Steven DiMassimo and Tyler Sparrow to the Transitional Diaconate on Saturday, May 23, at 10:00 a.m.
Bishop Zarama will confer Holy Orders to the Priesthood to Deacon Jairo Maldanado and Deacon Matthew Nwafor on Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m.
Both Masses will be held at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh with Bishop Zarama as the principal celebrant and homilist.
Attendance will be based on the crowd restrictions that are in place for that day, as decided by the Governor of North Carolina. If the crowd restrictions have been lifted, all will be welcome to attend. If the restrictions are still in place, the liturgy of Ordination will be celebrated privately, limited to essential personnel. Updates will be posted on the diocesan calendar.