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Diocese Of Bridgeport Ordains 7 New Roman Catholic Priests

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- A total of seven men were ordained into the priesthood Saturday in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, which serves all of Fairfield County, it announced on its website. 

by The Daily Voice

The ordination Mass was celebrated at St. Theresa Church in Trumbull. Retired Hartford Archbishop Daniel Cronin was the ordaining bishop.

The new priests are:

  • The Rev. Juan Acosta, 29, who was born in Cáqueza, Cundinamarca, Colombia. He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving on May 26 at noon at the Church of the Assumption in Westport. The homilist will be Assumption’s pastor, the Rev. Thomas Thorne.
  • The Rev. John Connaughton, 37, who grew up in Trumbull. He is one of three men being ordained this year who graduated from St. Joseph High School in Trumbull. Connaughton will celebrate his first Mass at St. Theresa’s in Trumbull on May 26 at 2 p.m. His uncle, Monsignor Lawrence Connaughton of the Archdiocese of New York, will give the homily.
  • The Rev. Joseph Gill, 29, who grew up in Frederick, Md. He will celebrate his first Mass at St. Mary’s in Bethel on May 26 at 8:30 a.m. Monsignor James Farmer, pastor of St. John Parish in Westminster, Md., will be the homilist.
  • The Rev. Matthew Krankall, 28, who grew up in Monroe. He is also a graduate of St. Joseph High School in Trumbull. Krankall will celebrate his first Mass at St. Mary Parish in Bethel on May 26 at 11:30 a.m. The Rev. Corey Piccinino, St. Mary’s pastor, will be the homilist.
  • The Rev. Krzysztof Kuczynski, 25, who is also from Monroe. He is the third St. Joseph’s graduate among this year’s new priests. He will celebrate his first Mass at St. Jude’s in Monroe on May 25 at 5:30 pm. The Rev. Joseph "Skip" Karcsinski will be the homilist. The Rev. Michael Novajosky, parochial vicar at St. Jude’s and another St. Joe’s alum, will be among the concelebrants.
  • The Rev. Damian Pielesz, 26, who was born and grew up in Jastrzebie Zdroj, Poland. He will celebrate his first Mass on May 26 at noon at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Stamford, a Polish-American parish. The Rev. Miroslaw Stachurski, parochial vicar of Saint Lawrence Parish in Shelton, will be the homilist.
  • The Rev.Ralph Segura, 51, who was born and raised in Norwalk. He will celebrate his first Mass at St. Aloysius in New Canaan on June 6 at 5 p.m. Monsignor Stephen DiGiovanni, pastor of the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, will give the homily.

“It takes a long time to prepare and form a priest,” says Monsignor Kevin Royal, diocesan director of clergy personnel. “But from their earliest days in seminary, we knew these men came to us with a strong sense that the Lord was calling them. They will be a great blessing in the parishes for the people they’ll serve.”

Next month, the diocese will ordain five men to the transitional diaconate, the last step before ordination as a priest.

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