Bishop to ordain seven men on May 23 in St. John's Cathedral

PATERSON - Bishop Serratelli will ordain seven men of diverse ages, cultural backgrounds and life experiences to the priesthood for the Paterson Diocese - all part of the largest diocesan ordination class since 1975 and one of the largest in the nation - at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 23 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here.

The following men, who already have been ordained transitional deacons, will be ordained to the priesthood of the diocese: Rev. Mr. Paul Barboutz of Israel; Rev. Mr. Vidal Roberto Gonzales Jr. of the Philippines; Rev. Mr. Hurbert Jurjewicz of Poland; Rev. Mr. Luis Carlos Moreno of Colombia; Rev. Mr. Adam Muda of Poland; Rev. Mr. David Pickens of St. Joseph Parish, Lincoln Park; and Rev. Mr. Marcin Walka of Poland.

This ordination class of future priests of the diocese is marked with many differences as well as with many similarities among its members. While these men hail from different countries around the world, three of them come from Poland.

Several of them followed career paths in similar or related fields, such as academia, where Rev. Mr. Pickens worked in university alumni relations and Rev. Mr. Barboutz was trained Jewish history scholar. All three Poles, Rev. Mr. Jurjewicz, Rev. Mr. Muda and Rev. Mr. Walka, had attended trade schools in their homeland. Both Rev. Mr. Moreno and Rev. Mr. Gonzales have spent their academic lives pursuing the priesthood.

A broad congregation of well-wishers - including family, friends, priests and religious of the diocese, members of the parishes where the seminarians have served and other supporters - are invited to attend the ordination as a sign of encouragement to the new priests.

Rev. Mr. Paul Barboutz Rev. Mr. Barboutz was born in Tel Aviv, Israel to the late Rose and Isaac Barboutz. Parish: St. Joseph, Lincoln Park. Education:  Bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Tel-Aviv.  Doctorate from the Jerusalem Hebrew University.  Master of Divinity, Theological College, The Catholic University of America, Washington.  Reads Greek, Latin, French and German and is fluent in Hebrew, Yiddish, Romanian and Italian. Work Experience  Served in the Israeli Army for three years, as required by law, and then in the military reserves.  Taught at the college-level and conducted research for other academics. Pastoral Experiences  Two summer assignments, St. Joseph Parish, Lincoln Park.  Two summer assignments, St. Paul Parish, Clifton.  Served a year with L'Arch. helping mentally disabled  Served a year with Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at George Washington University, Washington.  Served a year in Providence Hospital, Washington, D.C.  Deacon at St. Matthew's Cathedral in downtown Washington, where he preached and taught a course on spirituality and movies. Rev. Mr. Vidal Roberto Gonzales Jr. Rev. Mr. Gonzales was born in Kalibo, Aklan, the Philippines, to Vidal Dela Cruz Gonzales Sr. and the late Teresita Masangya Roberto. Parish: Our Lady Queen of Peace, West Milford. Educational Background:  Aklan College (a Catholic institution), the Philippines.  Bachelor's degree in philosophy with a minor in English and catechetics from Santo Nino Seminary, the Philippines.  Masters of Divinity from Immaculate Conception Seminary, Seton Hall University, South Orange. Pastoral experience:  Transitional deacon at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, West Milford, where he performed Baptisms, served at Mass, delivered homilies and presided over wake and prayer services.  Also at Queen of Peace: taught religious education, gave spiritual counseling, facilitated "Why Catholic?" program, helped facilitate Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program for first Holy Communion and Confirmation for adults, helped train altar servers and helped facilitate the Antioch Program. Church Related Experience:  Volunteered at Philippine Pastoral Center: San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel in downtown Manhattan.  Plays role in enhancing liturgy and in forming chapel committees such as altar servers, lector, music ministry, and catechesis; does financial recording and reporting; and participates in the San Lorenzo Ruiz Choir.  Helped coordinate 2008 Marian-European tour pilgrimage to Portugal, Spain and France.

Rev. Mr. Hurbert Jurjewicz Rev. Mr. Jurjewicz was born May 28, 1981 in Zlotow, Poland, to Elizabeth and Stanley Jurjewicz. Has a brother Bartosz. Parish in Poland: St. Rosalia of Palermo, Szczecinek. Education  Technical high school, Szczecinek, Poland: 1996-2000.  Seminary in the Koszalinsko Diocese, Kolobrzeska, Poland.  University of Adam Mickiewicz, Poznan, Poland.  Master's degree, the University of Szczecin, Poland. Rev. Mr. Luis Carlos Moreno Rev. Mr. Moreno was born July 18, 1973 in Medelin, Colombia to John Moreno Cadavid and the late Marieresa Meneses de Moreno. Parish: St. Vincent de Paul, Stirling. Education  Religious studies, the Seminario Mayor de Medellin, Colombia: 2004.  Master's degree in philosophy and theology, the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana: 2007.  Continues to study English as a Second Language. Pastoral Experience  Religious pastoral work and ministries to the sick in parishes in Medelin, Itagui, Bello and Santa Marta, Colombia.  St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown.  St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Stirling. Rev. Mr. Adam Muda Rev. Mr. Muda was born April 14, 1980 in Poland to Andrzej and Genowefa Muda. Parish: St. Rosa of Lima, East Hanover. Arrived in the U.S. in 2004. Parish in Poland: St. Bartholomew, Goraj. Education  Technical School in car mechanics, Bilgoraj, Poland: 1995-1999.  High school, Bilgoraj, Poland: 1999-2001.  Theology and philosophy studies, Catholic University of Lublin, Poland: 2001-2004.  Bishop Abramowich Seminary, Chicago, and English-as-a-Second-Language program at the University of Illinois Chicago: 2004-2005.  St. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Orchard Lake, Mich.: 2005-2006.  St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore, Md.: May 14 graduation. Pastoral Experiences  Served various parishes in Poland, visited hospitals and aided the chaplain at a nursing home.  Summer assignment, Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish, Kinnelon, where he visited the sick, was a lector, helped couples with marriage issues and taught summer school religious education.  Summer assignment, St. Rose of Lima Parish, East Hanover, where he visited hospitals and was a lector.

Rev. Mr. David J. Pickens Rev. Mr. Pickens was born Feb. 3, 1960 in Ridgefield Park to Harold and Lucille Pickens. Parish: St. Joseph's, Lincoln Park. Education  Westwood Regional High School: 1974-78.  Bachelor's degree in art history, Rutgers University, New Brunswick: 1982.  Master's degree in communications, New York Institute of Technology: 1989.  Masters of Divinity in pastoral studies, Theological College/Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.: 2009. Pastoral Experience  Damien Ministries, Washington, D.C., 2004-2005.  St. John the Baptist Catholic Community, Silver Spring, Md., 2005-2006.  Chaplain intern, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C., 2006-2007.  St. John the Baptist Catholic Community, Silver Spring, Md., 2007-2008.  St. John the Baptist Parish, Silver Spring, Md., 2008-2009.  Summer assignment, Our Lady of the Valley Parish, Wayne, 2007.  Summer assignment, St. Joseph Parish, Lincoln Park, 2008. Work Experience  Worked for Alumni Relations, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, (1997-2004).  Publications associate, Rutgers University (1997-2000), where he edited "Alumni Notes" section of quarterly Rutgers Magazine.  Production supervisor, The Print Factory, Unlimited, Franklin Lakes, 1991-1997.  Media buyer/account executive, 1987-1991.  Advertising coordinator, 1985-1987. Advertising supervisor, Irridelco Irrigation Corporation, Englewood Cliffs, 1983-1985. Rev. Mr. Marcin Walka Rev. Mr. Walka was born in Poland to Irena, an horticulturalist, and the late Julian, a construction worker. Has a younger sister, Marta. Accepted as a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese in 2006. Parish in Poland: St. Adalbert's, Zbrachlin. Education  Trade school in carpentry in Poland in 2000.  Two years each of philosophy and theology studies, the seminary in Wloclwek, Poland.  Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary, Orchard Lake, Mich., where he took English-as-a-Second Language classes for the first two years, before completing his priestly studies. Pastoral Experiences  Worked with charity group in Poland that visited the sick in a local hospital, helped the chaplain there, visited the homebound and an orphanage.  Ministered at a hospice and a nursing home and visited the homebound while studying at Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary, Orchard Lake, Mich.  Assignment, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Flanders.  Transitional deacon at St. Rose of Lima Parish, East Hanover: summer 2008.