Bishop William K. Weigand ordained Oscar Figueroa, Juan Manuel Ponce and Loreto Rojas, Jr. to the priesthood May 29 in a Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento. Through the imposition of the bishop’s hands “in our apostolic tradition and the prayer of the church,” Bishop Weigand said, the Holy Spirit conferred on the three men the character of priesthood, “permanently shaping their being and empowering them for priestly ministry.” Bishop Weigand told those attending the ordination that Fathers Figueroa, Ponce and Rojas will “need you to stand by them in prayer, to challenge them by your faith, by your support of their complete commitment to priestly ministry, to celibacy, to obedience, to the full dedication of their life to Christ.”

From left, Bishop Weigand, Loreto Rojas, Jr., Oscar Figueroa, Juan Manuel Ponce, and Bishop Garcia gather outside the Cathedral. Cathy Joyce/Herald photo