Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Eight to be ordained priests in May, June
Published: May 4, 2018
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain eight men to the priesthood in May and June. This is the largest ordination class for the Diocese of Little Rock in more than 60 years.
The first ordination will be celebrated Saturday, May 26 for the following seminarians: Deacons Tuyen Do; Patrick Friend; Jeff Hebert; and Keith Higginbotham. The 10 a.m. ordination Mass will be held at Christ the King Church in Little Rock with a reception to follow in the Family Life Center. The night before, on Friday, May 25, a holy hour to pray for these men and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Christ the King. If unable to come, set up a notification on your phone to watch the ordination live.
The second ordination will be celebrated Saturday, June 2 for the following seminarians: Deacons Joseph de Orbegozo; Stephen Elser; Michael Johns; and Daniel Ramos. The 10 a.m. ordination Mass will be held at Christ the King Church in Little Rock with a reception to follow in the Family Life Center. The night before, on Friday, June 1, a holy hour to pray for these men and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Christ the King. If unable to come, set up a notification on your phone to watch the ordination live.
All are invited to attend these events. Each of these men are featured in a special Vocations Section in Arkansas Catholic. For more information, contact the Vocations and Seminarians Office at (501) 664-0340 or read about each seminarian to be ordained below.
Deacon Tuyen Do
Tuyen Do, 41, will celebrate his first Mass Saturday, May 26 at 4:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. He will celebrate additional Masses of thanksgiving Sunday, May 27 at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Church in North Little Rock in Vietnamese. All are invited to these celebrations.
Do is the son of Lieu Thi Tran of Vietnam and the late Tam Quang Do. He is completing his studies for the priesthood at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He will begin his first assignment as a priest on June 13 as associate pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Patrick Friend
Patrick Friend, 29, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. All are invited to attend. He is the son of Dr. Jerry and Dona Friend of Little Rock and the late Betty Friend.
Friend is completing his studies for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. He will begin his first assignment as a priest on June 13 as chaplain of Catholic High School for Boys in Little Rock. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Jeff Hebert
Jeff Hebert, 35, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 27 at 12:05 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. All are invited to attend. He is the son of Richard and Marie Hebert of Spring, Texas.
Hebert is completing his studies for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He will begin his first assignment as a priest on July 1 as associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Conway. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Keith Higginbotham
Keith Higginbotham, 26, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. (bilingual) at St. Anne Church in North Little Rock. All are invited to attend. He is the son of Ralph and Sherry Higginbotham of North Little Rock.
Higginbotham is completing his studies for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. He will begin his first assignment as a priest on June 13 as part-time chaplain of Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock and part-time associate pastor of St. Edward Church in Little Rock. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Joseph de Orbegozo
Joseph de Orbegozo, 26, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, June 3 at 8 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. All are invited to attend. He is the son of Luis and Madeline de Orbegozo of Little Rock.
De Orbegozo is completing his studies for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. He will begin his first assignment as a priest on June 13 as part-time associate pastor of St. Theresa Church in Little Rock and a part-time teacher at the diocesan House of Formation in Little Rock. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Stephen Elser
Stephen Elser, 27, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, June 3 at 10:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. All are invited to attend. He is the son of Dr. Joe Elser and Angie Elser of Little Rock.
Elser is completing his studies for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. He will begin his first assignment as a priest on June 13 as associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith and chaplain of Trinity Junior High in Fort Smith. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Michael Johns
Michael Johns, 28, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, June 3 at 10:15 a.m. in English and 1:30 p.m. in Spanish at St. John the Baptist Church in Hot Springs. All are invited to attend. He is the son of Michael and Julie Johns of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Johns completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana in 2017 and has been serving a pastoral year at St. John the Baptist Church for the past year. He will become associate pastor of the parish in his first assignment as a priest on June 13. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
Deacon Daniel Ramos
Daniel Ramos, 31, will celebrate his first Mass Sunday, June 3 at 10:30 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche). All are invited to attend. He is the son of Benjamin Ramos and Maria Soledad Hernandez of Mexico.
Ramos is completing his studies for the priesthood at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He will begin his first assignment as a priest on June 13 as associate pastor of St. Raphael Church in Springdale and St. Joseph Church in Tontitown. To learn more, read Arkansas Catholic.
In addition to these priestly ordinations, Bishop Taylor will ordain Jon Miskin to the transitional diaconate on May 23 in preparation for ordination to the priesthood in 2019. Altogether, 28 seminarians are discerning a vocation to the priesthood for the Diocese of Little Rock. If you or someone you know is considering a vocation to the priesthood, contact Msgr. Scott Friend, vocations director, at (501) 664-0340.
