Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Five to be ordained deacons this month
Published: May 8, 2017
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will ordain five Diocese of Little Rock seminarians to the diaconate in May. These include: Keith Higginbotham, May 18 in North Little Rock; Daniel Ramos, May 20 in Marche; and Joseph de Orbegozo, Patrick Friend and Stephen Elser, May 24 in Little Rock. Through this process they will become transitional deacons, which is a major step toward priestly ordination.
Keith Higginbotham
The diaconate ordination Mass for Keith Higginbotham will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 18 at St. Anne Church in North Little Rock. All are invited to attend. Guests are also welcome to attend a holy hour before the ordination at 4 p.m. Prayers will be offered for him, his continued discernment of priesthood and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Higginbotham, 25, will serve at his first Masses in the role of deacon on Sunday, May 21 at 8 a.m. (Spanish) and 10:30 a.m. (English) at St. Anne Church. He is the son of Ralph and Sherry Higginbotham of North Little Rock. To learn more about him, read or watch his vocation story. Higginbotham is currently studying at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana in preparation for ordination to the priesthood in 2018. If you wish to contact him to congratulate him or assure him of your prayers, please e-mail him.
Daniel Ramos
The diaconate ordination Mass for Daniel Ramos will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 20 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche). All are invited to attend. Guests are also welcome to attend a holy hour before the ordination on Friday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. Prayers will be offered for him, his continued discernment of priesthood and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Ramos, 30, will serve at his first Mass in the role of deacon on Sunday, May 21 at 10:30 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. He is the son of Benjamin Ramos and Maria Soledad Hernandez of Irapuato, Mexico. To learn more about him, read or watch his vocation story. Ramos is currently serving his pastoral year at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in preparation for ordination to the priesthood in 2018. If you wish to contact him to congratulate him or assure him of your prayers, please e-mail him.
Joseph de Orbegozo, Patrick Friend and Stephen Elser
The diaconate ordination Mass for Joseph de Orbegozo, Patrick Friend and Stephen Elser will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 at Christ the King Church in Little Rock. All are invited to attend.
Guests are also welcome to attend a holy hour before the ordination at 4 p.m. Prayers will be offered for them, their continued discernment of priesthood and an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Joseph de Orbegozo, 25, will serve at his first Mass in the role of deacon on Sunday, May 28 at 8 a.m. at Christ the King Church. He is the son of Luis and Madeline de Orbegozo of Little Rock. To learn more about him, read or watch his vocation story. de Orbegozo is currently studying at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana in preparation for ordination to the priesthood in 2018. If you wish to contact him to congratulate him or assure him of your prayers, please e-mail him.
Patrick Friend, 28, will serve at his first Mass in the role of deacon on Sunday, May 28 at 12:15 p.m. at Christ the King Church. He is the son of Dr. Jerry and the late Betty Friend of Little Rock. To learn more about him, read or watch his vocation story. Friend is currently studying at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana in preparation for ordination to the priesthood in 2018. If you wish to contact him to congratulate him or assure him of your prayers, please e-mail him.
Stephen Elser, 26, will serve at his first Mass in the role of deacon on Saturday, May 27 at 5 p.m. at Christ the King Church. He is the son of Dr. Joseph Elser and Angie Elser of Little Rock. To learn more about him, read or watch his vocation story. Elser is currently studying at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana in preparation for ordination to the priesthood in 2018. If you wish to contact him to congratulate him or assure him of your prayers, please e-mail him.
Ordinations to the priesthood are also scheduled this month. Please visit the Vocations and Seminarians Office to find a complete schedule of events. For more information, contact Miriam Gallaher at (501) 664-0340, ext. 337.
