God has blessed the community of Vincentian Priests & Brothers with three new deacons: Ben Melaku, Luis Romero and Leo Tiburcio. Romero and Tiburcio were ordained transitional deacons on May 26th, 2018, and Melaku was ordained October 20, 2018.
The Rev. Mr. Ben Melaku, C.M. is originally from Ethiopia and studied at the Internal Seminary of the Congregation of the Mission in Philadelphia. His call to be a Vincentian Priest comes from his desire to serve the poor: “Where there is a passion, there is a call,” he said. “Wherever the community needs me, I would like to serve the mission.”
The Rev. Mr. Luis Romero, C.M. is originally from El Salvador where his town was only able to experience the mass twice a year when a priest would visit. When he was working in Queens, Long Island in a factory, Romero encountered the Vincentians and was drawn to the mission of serving the poor. Romero said of his vocation as a Vincentian priest: “I want to bring joy, I want to bring happiness to the people.”
The Rev. Mr. Leo Tiburcio was working in Charlotte, North Carolina as a cook when he, like Romero, encountered the Vincentian mission through the priest at his parish. Tiburcio is originally from Puebla, Mexico, said that through his vocation as a Vincentian priest he hopes to go back to his country to help the people of his community but also to bring the gospel to them.
To watch short videos of each new deacon, visit our Meet the Men page.