Seventeen men were ordained permanent deacons May 24 by Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano, Vicar General of the diocese, at Our Lady of Angels Church, Bay Ridge. They have been assigned to serve their home parishes; several were named to two parishes to assist with local needs.
The new deacons come from varied ethnic backgrounds; 10 of them hail from Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, while two were born in Puerto Rico. Fifteen are married men.
They include a director of religious education, a computer technician, an architect, a lawyer and a professional sports agent, among others.
The deacons pledged obedience to the bishop, to live a life of celibacy and to serve at the altar while taking on a life of service to the needs of the Church. By taking a promise of celibacy, the men are not free to marry upon the death of their spouse.
The ordination concluded a five-year period of training that included spiritual renewal and academic classes in theology. The diocesan diaconate program is under the direction of Deacon Jorge Gonzalez.
Each received his formal letter of assignment. The men and their assigned parishes are:
Deacon Gregory Bizzoco – Queen of Peace, Kew Gardens and Holy Trinity, Whitestone; Deacon Robert Cosgrove – Good Shepherd, Marine Park; Deacon Alberto Cruz, St. Martin of Tours, Bushwick; Deacon Carlos Culajay – St. Jerome, East Flatbush; Deacon William Cullen – St. Saviour, Park Slope; Deacon Fernando Luces – St. Rita, LIC; Deacon Ruben Mendez – O.L. Mount Carmel, Astoria; Deacon Oscar Perez – St. Matthias, Ridgewood; Deacon Jaime Pinzon – St. Joan of Arc, Jackson Heights; Deacon Manuel H. Quintana – St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Prospect Heights; Deacon Hector Rodriguez – Most Precious Blood, LIC, and Corpus Christi, Woodside; Deacon Jose Mauricio Rosales – O.L. Cenacle, Richmond Hill; Deacon Raul Ruiz – St. Joseph, Astoria; Deacon Paulo Salazar, – St. Joan of Arc, Jackson Heights; Deacon John Solarte – Presentation BVM, Jamaica; Deacon Elkin Tamayo – Immaculate Conception, Astoria; Deacon Eugene Wohlfarth – St. Andrew Avellino, Flushing.