With praise and thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus Christ, through the imposition of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit,

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Gregory John Hartmayer OFM Conv., Bishop of Savannah
, will ordain to the priesthood:

Jacob Norman Almeter

Avery Matthew Hanna

Kevin Arthur O’Keefe

With gratitude and thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus Christ, the date has been set for the Diocese of Savannah Ordinations to the Priesthood for 2011.

Deacon Chris Ortega and Deacon Dawid Kwiatkowski will, God willing, be ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ on the 4th of June in the year of our Lord 2011 at 10 O'Clock in the morning.

The ordinations will be held at:

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
222 E Harris St
Savannah, GA

Priesthood in the Diocese of Savannah

This study was undertaken to answer a fundamental question: how many seminarians does the Diocese of Savannah need in order to maintain the ratio of priests to laity over the next twenty years?

To answer this question, this report examines the growth of the diocese, retirement trends in the presbyterate, ordination rates, and the retention rate of seminarians.

Fr. Justin Ferguson speaks about the diocesan priesthood. 22 men attended the men's discernment retreat.

Close to 300 people were treated to a day of Spiritual Renewal at St Joseph Catholic Church in Macon as we listened to Dr. Scott Hahn give three talks: Letter and Spirit, The Lamb’s Supper, and Priests as Spiritual Fathers. His third talk was greatly anticipated by many, this being the Year for Priests. More than a few were moved to tears at the end of his reflections.

Take a look at our two newest Vocations Newsletters now Online

Select a date:

• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• July 2009

On June 20, Bishop J. Kevin Boland ordained four new priests for service in the Diocese of Savannah in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. By prayer and the imposition of hands, Deacons Matthew Ericksen, Luis Fonseca, Pablo Migone and Scott Winchel were raised to the priesthood.

Calling June 20 “a glorious day,” the bishop described the ministerial priesthood as a “pure gift” that “at all times must be lived out in service to God’s people.” Citing Pope Benedict XVI’s letter proclaiming June 19, 2009, to June 19, 2010 as the Year for Priests, which in turn quoted extensively from the writings of Saint John Vianney, patron of priests, the bishop told the candidates, “Our faith in the Divine Master gives us the strength to look to the future with confidence.” 

In an effort to more widely publicize the work of the Serra Club, we have begun a communications campaign to highlight what we do in support of Vocations. This effort began using a series of Parish Bulletin Clips provided by the USA Council of Serra International to promote vocation awareness at the parish level.

Scott Winchel was ordained a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Savannah by Bishop Boland at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Friday December 26, 2008, the Feast of St. Stephen, one of the first deacons as well as the first martyr of the early Christian church.