Priestly Ordination of
Friar Juan José Guzmán, OAR,
October 16, 2008

Bishop David Arias, OAR, and laying on of hands upon our new priest

I can remember so well the night that Juan José first arrived at Tagaste Monastery in Suffern, New York. It was August 2001. Fr. Fredric Abiera and I drove to Newark airport to pick him up. He had just completed his year-long novitiate in Monteagudo, Spain. He was exhausted and not hungry. But, since he didn’t want to disappoint the ravenous Fredric and myself, he went along with our suggestion that we stop for a bite to eat. So, we decided to go with an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet! After my second plate was nearly polished off, I observed that Juan José had hardly touched his food. He eventually confessed that he had eaten so much just before he left Spain that he could still hardly move! We enjoyed a good laugh, finished up our dinner, and headed back to Tagaste.

It didn’t take long for Juan José to feel right at home in our house of formation. He had a lot of preparation to take care of. One of the first steps for all the newly professed friars is to get enrolled at college or seminary. Within days of settling in, I took Juan José to Seton Hall University and he got registered for the fall semester.

We are all so proud of Juan José. It is so good to have him ordained now. We need him and are blessed that he is taking part in Recollect priestly ministry.

It was really special having Juan José ordained during our province assembly. He was ordained by our Bishop Emeritus, David Arias, OAR, at Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Oxnard, California. Of course, the occasion was also marked by great sadness. Our late brother, Father Michael Kenny, had been working so hard on the preparations for the ordination. He and Juan José had been in regular contact discussing the details of the ordination. The choir, which had always been led by Fr. Mike, performed beautifully. I was touched that Juan José asked me to sing a portion of You Are a Priest Forever, composed by Mr. Paul Shields, Fr. Mike’s beloved mentor and dear family friend. I paled in comparison to how richly Fr. Mike would have sung it, but was nonetheless, happy to be a part of Juan’s special day.

Fr. Juan José flanked by his proud mom and dad and family

Celebrating with Juan José were his wonderful parents, four siblings and aunt and uncle. Fr. Provincial, Charles Huse, OAR, Fr. Ramón Gaitán, OAR, prior of Tagaste, and Father Marlon Beof, OAR, prefect of Tagaste’s professed, assisted in vesting our new priest during the rite of ordination. Br. Anthony Torretti, OAR, as master of ceremonies, saw that the ceremony went off without a hitch.

A wonderful reception followed in the parish hall, and Father Juan José spent the next several hours offering first blessings to eager family and friends.

Father Juan José blesses his proud parents at Ordination Mass

Juan José’s ordination Mass was followed by, three days later, October 19, the cantamisa (first Mass). This celebration took place at our province’s Our Lady of the Pillar Parish in Santa Ana, California. The church was absolutely filled to overflowing. Fr. Francisco Sandoval, OAR, fellow classmate and good friend of Juan José gave the moving homily, and Brother Anthony once again served as master of ceremonies. The Mass was concelebrated by almost a dozen fellow Recollects. A terrific gathering of food and prayer and fun followed in the parish’s activities center.

With the loss of Fr. Kenny so deeply felt, there was a piece of news that brought great joy to the local community of Mary Star of the Sea. At the ordination Mass, Fr. Provincial announced that he is assigning Father Juan José as associate pastor at Mary Star. Fr. Juan José is currently enjoying a much-deserved month-long vacation with his family in his native Mexico. He will soon take up his new parish ministry at Mary Star of the Sea. There is no doubt that Fr. Juan José will follow in the same dedicated footsteps as Fr. Mike, and be a true religious and a true priest to the entire community. Congratulations, Juanjo! God bless you.

Your brother and friend, Fr. Michael Rafferty, OAR