On the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Friday December 3, 2021, Gerardo Laguartilla and Jerome Hologa were ordained priests in the Atlantic Province. It was the first time in the history of the Province that there were two ordinations to the priesthood on the same day.

Fr. Gerardo will be taking responsibility for the Unio Sanguis Cristi and will be involved in parish ministry.  Fr. Jerome will continue his role of Director of Mission Development and will also be involved in parish ministry on weekends.

The newly ordained priests celebrated this event with a series of masses with their families, friends, and parishioners that have supported them in their vocation.

Fr. Gerardo celebrated a solemn first Mass, on December 4 at Precious Blood Parish in Scarborough Ontario. The theme of the celebration was,“In everything, serve and love the Lord; En todo ama y servir al Señor; Sa lahat, mahalin at paglingkuran ang Panginoon; In omnibus amare et servire Domino” (Jn. 13:34 & Mk. 10:45).  It was celebrated in English, Filipino and Spanish for the variety of participants in attendance from the Philippines, Latin America — especially Lima, Peru — and from Canada. He also celebrated mass at St. Alphonsus Church Toronto on December 12, the Third Sunday of Advent and Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron of the Americas. Gerardo will offer a mass as well in his native Philippines sometime in May 2022 and then in Lima, Peru sometime in September 2022. 

Fr. Gerado and Fr. Jerome celebrated a mass together on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at St. Wilfrid’s Parish, North York, Ontario, where the Formation House of the Atlantic Province is currently located.

Fr. Jerome celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Charles Borromeo Church, Toronto on the weekend of December 11-12 and another one with the Swahili Community on Sunday afternoon December 12 at St. Roch’s Parish.  He also celebrated masses of thanksgiving in his native Tanzania at the Cathedral of Dodoma on December 26, Feast of the Holy Family, and at St. Joseph Church in his hometown on December 29.