Four Men to be Ordained Priests

Cardinal William H. Keeler will ordain four men as priests during a Mass of Ordination on Saturday, June 26 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, 5200 North Charles Street, Baltimore.

Those who will be ordained include two former schoolteachers–one from Cameroon, a landscape architect who became Catholic as an adult, and a structural engineer with a Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Michael DeAscanis, 33, was raised one of six children in New Castle, Delaware. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Masters Degree in structural engineering before working at a private engineering firm in Baltimore for four years. Michael studied theology at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy, where he will return to continue his studies following his Ordination.

Ty Hullinger, 35, will be the second of four boys in his family to become a Catholic priest. His brother, Rev. Jon Hullinger is a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas. Ty has a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from Illinois Wesleyan University and an M.L.A. from the University of Minnesota. Before entering St. Mary’s Seminary and University in 1998, Ty worked as a landscape architect in Baltimore, during which time he received the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation. Ty’s first assignment as a priest will be at the Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City.

Martin Nocchi, 32, grew up one of six children in Freeland, Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg State University, Martin worked for a brief time at Saint John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic School in Hazleton, Pennsylvania before deciding to enter the seminary in 1997. Martin began his studies for the Diocese of Scranton and entered St. Mary’s Seminary and University in 2002. Martin’s first assignment as a priest will be at St. Joseph’s, Fullerton.

Michel Tchoumbou, 28, was born in French speaking Cameroon in West Africa and moved with his family to English speaking Cameroon at a young age. Losing his father when he was only 14, Michel was raised by his mother and uncle. He began his seminary formation at Our Lady of Hope Major Seminary in Bertoua, Cameroon. Before coming to America to pursue his studies in theology, Michel took a pastoral year at the St. Paul’s Minor Seminary in Douala and worked as a tutor and a dormitory master. Michel will be a priest of the Archdiocese of Douala.

Media note:
The Mass of Ordination is rich in Catholic tradition and very visual: the new candidates for priesthood are presented to the bishop who asks about their intentions and worthiness to be ordained. The ceremony continues with the candidates prostrating themselves while the congregation chants the Litany of Saints. Immediately following, the bishop through the ancient sign of ordination confers priesthood by laying hands on each candidate. Each priest present also lays his hands on each candidate. The new priests are then vested in a stole and a chasuble (symbols of the priestly office) followed by the bishop presenting the bread and a chalice filled with wine, which is offered and consecrated at this Ordination Mass, the new priests’ first Mass.