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| Christopher Padilla |
MONONA — Christopher Padilla, a seminarian with the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, will be ordained as a transitional deacon on Friday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona.
A transitional deacon is a man who has completed his third year of theology studies and intends to be ordained as a priest in the Catholic Church.
Padilla is the son of Carlos Padilla Fernández and Mónica Camiruaga Jiménez.
He is currently a member of St. Mary Parish in Platteville.
Seminary experience
Padilla’s experience in the seminary took place in the school for young vocations that the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest has in Murcia, Spain.
Padilla assisted with the liturgical preparations of both the ordinary and the extraordinary forms of the Mass.
He was also in charge of the selection and projection of the audiovisual materials suitable for the Catholic formation of the young members of the society.
Pastoral experience
His pastoral experiences, both at St. Mary Parish in Platteville and St. Mary Parish in Fennimore (in the Diocese of Madison), have been mainly directed to helping as a catechist with fourth, seventh, and 10th grade students; providing English classes for the Hispanic community; helping with the organization of the parish festivals and activities; and as a greeter and usher during the celebrations of the Mass.
As he looks forward to ordination, Padilla said, “It feels wonderful because the transitional diaconate is already part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders; it constitutes the beginning of a special configuration with Jesus Christ and allows you to play a special part in the sacraments so that you are actually helping people get closer to God and his Church.”
Path to the priesthood
He is set to be ordained to the priesthood on Friday, June 26, at St. Maria Goretti Church in Madison, along with transitional deacons Scott Emerson, Christopher Gernetzke, Tafadzwa Kushamba, Chahm Gahng, and Gabriel López-Betanzos.
Once ordained to the priesthood, Padilla will serve as parochial vicar at St. Mary Parish, Platteville; St. Augustine Parish, Platteville; Queen of All Saints Parish, Fennimore; Divine Mercy Parish, Sauk City; Holy Cross Parish, Mazomanie; and St. Norbert Parish, Roxbury.