The Christmas Season, already a time of great hope and joy, will be the setting for another joyous event when the newest priest in the Diocese of Allentown is ordained.
Rev. Mr. Juan E. Rodriguez, who has wanted to be a priest since he was a little boy, will be ordained to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood by Bishop Alfred Schlert in a special Mass at 10:30 a.m. January 6.
The event, to be held at the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena, Allentown, will be livestreamed on AD Today and on the diocesan Facebook page. Links can be found below:
Diocese of Allentown Facebook page
Because of social distancing requirements due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Mass will not be open to the public. Attendance will be by invitation only.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Deacon Rodriguez, 48, was educated in public schools there and came to the United States after graduating from the University of Santo Domingo in 1997.
Before entering the seminary, he worked in warehouses, was a Catholic school teacher, and also worked as a graphic designer at a television station.
He graduated from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., in May 2020 with a Master of Divinity Degree.
He has been serving as a Transitional Deacon at Sacred Heart Parish, Bethlehem, and previously served in the same role at Immaculate Conception Parish, Douglassville.
He is a member of St. Paul Church in Allentown.
The date of the Ordination, January 6, is the universal date of the Feast of the Epiphany. In the United States, the celebration is transferred to a Sunday, and it will be celebrated January 3.
