PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Robert Ruggiero walked into the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on the morning of June 28 as a deacon and emerged two and a half hours later as a priest.
“Now, I’m His, in service to Him. My life is fully dedicated to Him and his church,” he said, adding that he felt his old life was ending and a new one was just beginning.
And he wasn’t the only one whose life had changed that day.
Father Ruggiero was one of seven men ordained into the priesthood for the Diocese of Brooklyn by Bishop Robert Brennan, who conferred the sacrament of Holy Orders at a Mass of Ordination at the co-cathedral on June 28.
The new priests — Father Robert Ruggiero, Father Benoit Chavanne, Father Juan Herrera-Posada, Father Callistus Ibeh, Father Paulo Salazar, Father Alvaro Morales Sanchez and Father Nelson Gerardo Tlatelpa — took their vows on a day filled with prayers, tears, and lots of applause from the hundreds of people who gathered at the co-cathedral to share their big day.
For the diocese, the ordination of seven new priests marked an increase from last year, when three men entered the priesthood.
According to the Center for Applied Research of the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the number of priests in the U.S. decreased by 40% between 1970 and 2024. In 1970, there were 59,192 priests. In 2024, the number had dropped to 33,589.
Bishop Brennan sees a new trend emerging: young people are not shy about expressing their faith.
“I see, in a sense, a new trend with people coming to church, taking serious account of their faith, finding strength in that faith,” he said. “It’s not a dramatic all-of-a-sudden-[large]-numbers of people entering the seminary, but what we are seeing is that young men seem to be more vocal about talking about it. That’s a good thing. First of all, it’s good that they feel comfortable and that the culture, the climate, allows for that.”
Inside the co-cathedral, there was a joyful atmosphere. At times, the day was emotional, as family members of the new priests shed tears of joy.
The Mass of Ordination was filled with many memorable moments, including the Laying on of Hands, in which Bishop Brennan and all the priests in attendance placed their hands on the new priests’ heads one by one.
Another significant moment came when the seven men lay prostrate before the altar during the Litany of the Saints.
Before the ordination, Father Ibeh said that the litany was the part of the Mass he was most looking forward to because of its symbolism.
“I’m giving it all to God and just laying down my life, just as Christ laid down his,” he explained. “And I’m no longer the owner of my life at this point. It belongs to the Church.”
The new priests arrived at the co-cathedral two hours before the Mass and gathered in the rectory to prepare.
“I’m very nervous but also very happy,” Father Morales Sanchez admitted. “I never thought this day would come. When I first began, everything seemed so far away. Now I’m happy that it’s almost time.”
The new priests will be serving in the following churches: Father Chavanne (Regina Pacis in Dyker Heights), Father Herrera-Posada (Blessed Sacrament in Jackson Heights), Father Ibeh (St. Sebastian in Woodside), Father Ruggiero (St. Francis of Assisi in Astoria), Father Salazar (Resurrection Ascension-Our Lady of the Angelus in Rego Park), Father Morales Sanchez (Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jamaica) and Father Tlatelpa (St. Michael in Sunset Park).
Father Salazar, who has spent the past five years studying for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, will serve at Resurrection Ascension-Our Lady of the Angelus for the summer and then return to the Eternal City in September to continue studying canon law.
Bishop Brennan, who said it was a “great privilege to ordain” the new priests, added they are now part of a great brotherhood.
“There’s a real connection that you have with people through that Sacrament of Ordination. So that’s a bond that will always be there,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to collaborating with them in the work of pastoral ministry here in Brooklyn and Queens.”