Bishop Alberto Rojas wishes to share the following information:
I. PASTOR APPOINTMENT
• Rev. Max Tzul, FMM, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Colton, for a term of six (6) years effective August 1, 2022. We welcome Fr. Tzul to the Diocese after serving many years in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. We thank Father Bonifacio Velasquez, FMM, for his many years of service at Immaculate Conception. On August 1, 2022, Fr. Velasquez will be assigned full time to the Office of Canonical Services at the Diocesan Pastoral Center and in residence with his community in Colton.
• Rev. Rocendo Herrera, ST, Pastor, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mecca, for a term of six (6) years having begun on May 1, 2022. We welcome Fr. Herrera to the Diocese. Fr. Herrera is a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. His most recent assignment was in Loiza, Puerto Rico. We thank the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity for their commitment and service to the people of Mecca, especially to Father Francisco Gomez, ST, who became the interim administrator after the unexpected death of Father Jesus Palomares, ST.
• Rev. Juan Fernando Bonilla, MSP, Pastor, St. John the Evangelist, Riverside for a term of six (6) years beginning July 11, 2022. Fr. Bonilla will also serve as the Administrator of St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington for a term of three (3) years beginning July 11, 2022. Current Pastor, Father Guillermo Martinez Torres, MSP, will become a delegate for his religious community visiting parishes and communities throughout the USA. Fr. Martinez Torres will continue to reside in the Diocese of San Bernardino. We welcome Fr. Bonilla back to the Diocese!
II. ADMINISTRATOR APPOINTMENT
• Rev. Benjamin Alforque, MSC, Administrator, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Riverside, for a term of three (3) years beginning July 1, 2022. We thank Fr. Alforque for accepting this assignment and the MSC community for its support. We also thank Monsignor Tom Wallace for his ministry at OLPH. Msgr. Wallace will resume full time his ministry as Director of the Office of Missions and as Vicar for Priests.
• Rev. Octavio Cortez Torres, IVE, Administrator, St. Patrick, Moreno Valley, for a term of three (3) years beginning July 1, 2022.
• Rev. Tomás Guillén, Administrator, St. Oscar Romero, Eastvale, for a term of three (3) years beginning July 1, 2022.
III. DIOCESAN PASTORAL CENTER APPOINTMENT
• Very Rev. Rafael Partida, Episcopal Vicar of the Riverside Pastoral Region, will assume the responsibilities as Director for the Department of Ethnic Affairs. Fr. Partida will work with Maria Echeverria, current Director, until her retirement on September 9, 2022. To enable Fr. Partida to continue his work as Episcopal Vicar of the Riverside Pastoral Region and additional responsibilities in the Department of Ethnic Affairs, he will resign as Pastor of St. Patrick, Moreno Valley, effective June 30, 2022. Fr. Partida immensely enjoyed his ministry as Pastor of St. Patrick. Although he concludes his ministry as Pastor, he will assist with Masses and some ministry when his schedule permits. Current Parochial Vicar at St. Patrick’s, Rev. Octavio Cortez Torres, IVE, will assume responsibilities as Administrator effective July 1, 2022 for three (3) years (see appointment page 2).
• Rev. David Fitzgerald, SP, is assigned to the Office of Priest Personnel beginning August 1, 2022. Fr. Fitzgerald will work in collaboration with Dr. Jose Antonio Medina, current Coordinator of Continuing Formation of Priests in the Office of Priest Personnel. Dr. Medina will retire on December 31, 2022. On January 1, 2023, Fr. Fitzgerald will officially assume full responsibilities as Coordinator of Continuing Formation of Priests. Fr. Fitzgerald has served our Diocese in different capacities in the past and we welcome him back after he served many years as the Servant General of his religious community. We are grateful to Fr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Medina as they work together in the coming months to continue the good work in service to the priests of the Diocese.
IV. PAROCHIAL VICAR APPOINTMENT
All terms are for three (3) years and effective July 1, 2022, unless otherwise indicated.
• Rev. Johnny Dang, Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Riverside.
• Rev. Juan Carlos Lopez, Parochial Vicar, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Temecula.
• Rev. Ken Vu, Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Hope, San Bernardino.
• Rev. Alwyn Anfone, Parochial Vicar, Sacred Heart, Palm Desert. Father Tyler Tripp, JCL, continues to serve at Sacred Heart while serving in the Office of Canonical Services at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.
• Rev. Juan Sandoval, Parochial Vicar, St. Christopher, Moreno Valley.
• Rev. Charles ‘Gino’ Galley, Parochial Vicar, St. Andrew Newman Center, Riverside.
• Rev. Toan Pham, Parochial Vicar, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Winchester.
• Rev. Xavier Cachago, Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Indio. This assignment is made due to the transfer of Father Juan Sandoval from the parish.
• Rev. Dominic Vu, Parochial Vicar, St. Francis of Assisi, La Quinta.
• Rev. Javier Gonzalez Cabrera, Parochial Vicar, St. Adelaide, Highland, for one (1) year. Fr. Gonzalez Cabrera will also be serving part time at Serra House of Formation (see part V., "Special Works/Ministry)
• Rev. Gregory Vi Tran, CRM, Parochial Vicar, St. Mary Magdalene, Corona, for three (3) years beginning July 11, 2022. Fr. Tran is new to the Diocese. Fr. Ignatius Trieu Hoang, CRM, current Parochial Vicar, will be departing the Diocese on July 31, 2022.
• Rev. Luis Alberto de la Cruz Quen, MSP, Parochial Vicar for both St. Charles Borromeo, Bloomington and St. John the Evangelist, Riverside having begun on March 1, 2022.
• Rev. Alexander Sila, SVD, Parochial Vicar, Queen of Angels, Riverside. We welcome back Fr. Alex to the Diocese. Father Predheep Sathiyanathan, SVD, will be departing the Diocese for ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
• Rev. Benediktus Obon, SVD, Parochial Vicar, Queen of Angels, Riverside for one (1) year. We welcome Father Benediktus to the Diocese.
• Rev. Michael Arịnze Ezeoke, Parochial Vicar, The Holy Name of Jesus, Redlands.
• Rev. Andres Rivera, Parochial Vicar, St. Peter & St. Paul, Alta Loma.
• Rev. Jorge Tellez, Parochial Vicar, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Ontario.
• Rev. Ismael Valenzuela-Salazar, Parochial Vicar, Holy Innocents, Victorville.
• Rev. Joseph T. Ellison, Parochial Vicar, St. Mel, Norco.
• Rev. Robert Chikeziri Ihuoma, Parochial Vicar, Sacred Heart, Rancho Cucamonga for a term of three (3) years beginning September 1, 2022. This assignment is made in accord with the terms of the agreement between the Diocese of Ahiara, Nigeria and the Diocese of San Bernardino.
• Rev. Julian C. Okoroanyanwu, Parochial Vicar, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Ontario for a one (1) year term beginning July 1, 2022. Fr. Okoroanyanwu will be a second parochial vicar at the parish assisting the Pastor, Father Cristobal Subosa with outreach to Kaiser Hospital, Ontario, and ministry with the Igbo community.
• Rev. Ephraim Palma Arciga, MSC, Parochial Vicar, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Riverside. Fr. Arciga is newly arriving from the Philippines and is a member of the MSC Philippine Province under the administration of the USA/MSC Province. We welcome him to the Diocese.
• Rev. Ramon Flores, ST, Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella Valley for a term of three (3) years beginning August 1, 2022. Fr. Flores was ordained in the Diocese by Bishop Gerald Barnes in 2020. Since then, he has been serving in the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama. We welcome him to the Diocese.
• Rev. Eder Tufay Quiñones Menjura, ST, Parochial Vicar, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mecca for a term of three (3) years beginning August 1, 2022. Fr. Menjura concludes his ministry at Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella.
The following have been appointed for three (3) additional years effective July 1, 2022 unless otherwise indicated.
• Rev. Jose Antonio Orozco, Parochial Vicar, Holy Family, Hesperia.
• Rev. Sebastian Michael-Flory, MSC, Parochial Vicar, St. Christopher, Moreno Valley.
• Rev. Michael Fredricks, Parochial Vicar, St. Paul the Apostle, Chino Hills.
• Rev. Teodorico 'Jun' Tacaisan, MSP, Parochial Vicar, St. James the Less, Perris.
• Rev. Luis Segura, MSC, Parochial Vicar, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Riverside, for one (1) additional year.
• Rev. Francis Grant, Parochial Vicar, St. Anthony, San Jacinto for an additional one (1) year.
• Rev. Kenneth Okoroudo, Parochial Vicar, St. Anthony, Upland.
• Rev. Jose Luis Rivas, Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chino for an additional one (1) year.
V. PRIEST IN RESIDENCE
• Rev. Michael J. Miller, a retired diocesan priest from the Diocese of Monterey, has taken up residence at St. Joan of Arc, Victorville as of March 1, 2022. He will be assisting the Administrator, Father Hyacinth Ibeh, with sacramental needs in the parish. We welcome back Fr. Miller who served many faithful years as Administrator of St. Margaret Mary, Chino.
• Rev. Akhil Thomas Pachikkarayil, SVD, a missionary of the Society of Divine Word, has been assigned by the SVD community as the Assistant Director of Wordnet in San Bernardino. Fr. Pachikkarayil begins his ministry June 1, 2022. He will be residing at the SVD residence in Riverside. We welcome Fr. Pachikkarayil to our Diocese.
• Rev. Chidi Martinianus Chileke is assigned as priest in residence assisting Father Benedict C. Nwachukwu-Udaku, Pastor of Sacred Heart, Rancho Cucamonga, with the spiritual needs of the people while the parish awaits a new Parochial Vicar in September. Once the new priest arrives and acclimated, Fr. Chileke will then receive a new assignment in the Diocese.
VI. SPECIAL WORKS/MINISTRY
• Rev. Raul Perez Mendoza is assigned effective immediately as Hospital Chaplain to Providence St. Mary Medical Center, Apple Valley. Fr. Perez Mendoza will complete his final unit and certification process for Clinical Pastoral Education.
• Rev. Javier Gonzalez Cabrera is assigned effective July 1, 2022 as Director of Pastoral Formation at Serra House of Formation, Grand Terrace. Father Javier will oversee the pastoral formation of the seminarians currently residing at Serra House. Father Javier will be two days a week at Serra House while serving as Parochial Vicar at St. Adelaide, Highland. We welcome back to the Diocese Father Javier after he successfully completed his doctorate program in Missiology at the Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome.
• Deacon Richard Ahumada, Transitional Deacon, is assigned to diaconal ministry at Our Lady of the Assumption, San Bernardino effective July 1, 2022. Deacon Richard will be in residence and serving the community as he awaits Ordination to the Priesthood.
• Rev. James M. Onyenani, Hospital Chaplain, Kaiser Hospital, Fontana, for three (3) years beginning July 1, 2022.
• Rev. Chrisantus I. Ekwebelam, Hospital Chaplain, Kaiser Hospital, Moreno Valley and Riverside University Health System Regional Medical Center, Moreno Valley in collaboration with Father Geoffrey Eboh, beginning July 1, 2022. Father Ekwebelam will continue to live in residence at St. Andrew Newman Center, Riverside.