June 1, 2019  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Archbishop José H. Gomez ordained six new priests today for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.

“Every ordination is a time for us to thank God for the gift of a priesthood,” said Archbishop Gomez. “Jesus gave his Church only one mission — to proclaim him, risen and alive, and to unite the peoples of this world into one family of God. This is our mission — everyone of us here today. We are called to be missionary disciples, bringing the love of Jesus into every walk of life and every life situation. And God gives us his priests to accompany us in this mission. My dear brothers, this is the noble vocation that you are called to — to be spiritual fathers for the family of God here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles”

The men who entered the priesthood today are Fr. Emmanuel Delfin, Fr. Luther Diaz, Fr. Brian Humphrey, Fr. José Maria Ortiz, Fr. Miguel Angel Ruiz and Fr. Louis Sung. All have completed theological formation at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo and recently completed service as transitional deacons and year-long internships at Archdiocesan parishes. They will begin their first parish assignments on June 2.

“It is a blessing for our church to celebrate for a second year in a row the ordination of the three levels of holy orders, Bishop, Priests and Deacon within a few weeks’ time,” said Father Samuel Ward, Director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Vocations. “These men are ordained for service of the gospel and building up the faith in a local church.”

The ordination Mass is a sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a priest and is enabled to minister in Christ’s name and that of the Church. The essential rite of the Sacrament takes place during the Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Consecration, an ancient tradition in the Church, mentioned in the Bible. The ceremony included various rituals, rich in meaning and history, including prostration. The men being ordained lay facedown before the altar, symbolizing his dependence upon God and the prayers of the Christian community.

Upon conclusion of Mass, the new priests gave their first public blessings on the Cathedral Plaza surrounded by family, friends, members of their parish communities, their pastors and other priest mentors.

The new priests for the Archdiocese are:

Fr. Louis Sung, 28, from Cerritos, CA. He was born in Long Beach, Calif., to Korean immigrant parents. He said his calling to the priesthood came when attending St. Raphael Korean Catholic Center in Norwalk and listening to stories of saints and biblical figures from his mother, that’s when something began to stir in him. Father Sung attended UC Riverside, and during his senior year he knew he had to make a choice, that meant not teaching English to school children in Korea for a year and foregoing marriage, but he knew that by making this decision he was not going to married to one person, but to the whole Church instead. Father Sung said he always felt like there was a calling from God, and he looks forward to be an “instrument” of God through the sacraments. He wants to minister in a special way to the young people he encounters, and he plans to do so by being present and leading by example. First mass he will celebrate: St. Raphael Korean Catholic Center in Norwalk at 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 2.
#NewLAPriests | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYtxisqFQ1E&t=1s

Fr. José María Ortiz, 36, from Santa Maria, Calif. He was born in Jalisco México, and immigrated to Santa Maria, Calif. with his dad when he was 15. He worked in the fields for a year, and eventually graduated high school and made it to UCLA where he studied to be a scientist. “There were five instances in my life I really felt God strongly calling me to this,” said Father Ortiz. “And I refused four times, but the fifth time I was like, ‘No, let me give God a chance’ — not knowing that it was God who was giving me the chance of my life.” His journey to priesthood started by traveling around the United States with the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, a religious order originally from México, and eventually ended up at St. John’s as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Father Ortiz is excited and happy to serve, and even though he is aware of the challenges he could face, he knows that with God’s grace everything will be good. First mass he will celebrate: St. John Neumann at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 2. #NewLAPriests | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTV6Yz_F_gU&t=3s

Fr. Miguel Ángel Ruiz, 27, from Yahualica, Jalisco, México. He was born in Jalisco, México., and immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 10. Father Ruiz is the youngest member of the Class of 2019 and since an early age he knew this was his vocation. He was raised in a family where faith was part of their lives, attending Mass frequently, participating on special devotions and eucharistic adoration, only natured his vocation to the priesthood. After high school graduation, Ruiz enrolled at the Juan Diego House in Gardena (since renamed the Queen of the Angels Center for Priestly Transformation), where college-age seminarians aspiring to the diocesan priesthood live. He lived there for five years before spending the last five years at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo. Father Ruiz believes his newest mission depends on the prayers of the Catholics he’ll be serving. He trusts that God will help him in any challenges that he may have, and that’s the message he wants to share, “to trust in the amidst of the challenges.” First mass he will celebrate: St. Matthew Church in Long Beach at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 2.#NewLAPriests | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylvSWEWew5o&t=24s

Fr. Emmanuel Delfín, 50, from Lomita, Calif. He was born in the Philippines and when he was in first grade, his family immigrated to the U.S. and by the time he finished high school he had lived in Chicago, Hawaii, and Northern California. Before finding his vocation, Emmanuel Delfin had to rack up a few frequent miles first. Father Delfin pursued architecture school, an adventure that took him from Switzerland to Los Angeles to New Mexico, and finally back to LA. It was in New Mexico where one morning he woke up to find out that a friend had been found murdered in her car on the side of the freeway. Anguished, he began to walk in circles around his block, passing a small chapel each time. After praying for the first time in years, something changed inside him. He describes finding peace that day, even in the death of his friend. Since entering the seminary, he’s seen his calling as the answer to a need for priests and the sacraments in the world. First mass he will celebrate: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Church at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. #NewLAPriests | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojs-iTd5A4A&t=2s

Fr. Luther Diaz, 47, from San Fernando Valley. Born and raised in San Fernando Valley, father Diaz found that his call to priesthood didn’t come in a form of “sudden bursts” but a persistent, patient invitation from the Lord, much like the calling of the prophet Samuel. After high school, he worked in several positions at Pacoima Elementary School before working in the accounting department of a medical billing company. Father Diaz says his calling was just a continual desire and a continuous thought of wanting to be close to God in any way possible, and in doing God’s work. One of the aspects of priesthood that Father Diaz is looking forward to, is the sacrament of reconciliation, which he sees as “an incredible grace” and “an awesome privilege” to bring people forgiveness and healing. Father Diaz is ready to be a priest in the city he calls home. First mass he will celebrate: Our Lady of Loretto Church in Echo Park at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 1 and St. Didacus at 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 2. #NewLAPriests | https://angelusnews.com/news/pablo-kay/new-la-priests-luther-diaz

Fr. Brian Humphrey, 38, from Elyria, Ohio. Grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue his career in the music business. For 15 years, he worked as an engineer and producer with an array of musicians and singers. His journey to priesthood started one day at a studio in Connecticut, where he experienced a time of interior struggle. “I started to realize that I couldn’t carry all this weight and I couldn’t do all this work by myself and I needed God in my life,” said Father Humphrey. It was when he was introduced to Jesus in the Eucharist and to the Word of God, reading the Scriptures, when he started to experience that satisfaction that he was made for. Father Humphrey decided to enter the seminary in Los Angeles because he thought about Saint Paul, who went to the big cities to evangelize. Father Humphrey looks forward to being the light in that dark place, that he could affect great change where there’s a lot of hurt and a lot of pain. First mass he will celebrate: St. Francis of Assis in Silver Lake at 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. #NewLAPriests |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNGqtjeZ_mw&t=11s

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The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest Archdiocese in the United States with approximately five million Catholics. For the latest news, events and to subscribe for media alerts visit media.la-archdiocese.org. Follow us on social media at LAcatholics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Video archives and footage of Masses celebrated by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez are also available.

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