Celebrate the Newly Ordained

This moment has been made possible because of your faithful generosity and fervent prayers. Through your support, you have shared in the mission of raising up preachers of the Gospel who will proclaim the truth for the salvation of souls.

Yet, as these men begin their priestly ministries in service to the Church, another large class of thirteen novices has just begun their journey. And the cost of their formation is significant.

We humbly ask for your assistance. Will you prayerfully consider making a special offering to support these young men as they prepare to become faithful heralds of the Gospel?

Please know that you and your loved ones are remembered in our daily prayers. May our Lady, Queen of Preachers, intercede for you and bring you ever closer to her Son.

Fr. Pius Henry, O.P.

Fr. Pius Henry was born in Reading, Massachusetts. He attended Reading Memorial High School and had the opportunity to travel to South America three times with his home parish on mission trips where he had the opportunity to work with the poor. After high school he proceeded to The Catholic University of America to study theology. While there he encountered the Order of Preachers through classes taught by Dominicans. Inspired by the Thomistic tradition and the clear presentation that was rooted in a deep contemplative prayer life he entered the order in 2019. “Having received the fruits of Dominican preaching and teaching the Holy Spirit led me to the order so as to cooperate in the Dominican charism of preaching for the salvation of souls and to give to others what I myself have been so blessed to receive.”

Fr. Raphael Arteaga, O.P.

Fr. Raphael Arteaga was born in Providence, Rhode Island and raised in the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Brother Raphael’s parents, both originally born in Colombia, South America, were committed to providing a Catholic education to him and his sister, which helped to feed the Catholic faith passed on at home. From a young age Brother Raphael found himself growing in wonder at the Holy Mass and by extension, the priesthood. Yet, it was not until he met the Dominican Friars at Providence College, where he earned his Bachelors of Arts in Theology in 2019, that he began to think about religious life in conjunction with the vocation of the priesthood. “Not only did I have the Dominican Friars in class and as my chaplains, but I also had the unique experience of being a porter for the priory on campus for all four years of college. It was the experience of the multi-generations of friars residing and working at Providence College that I saw the true grace that works within the Dominican religious life under the patronage of Saint Dominic and the Blessed Mother. It was the joyful and fraternal witness of my older brothers in religion that made me desirous of the same joy and fidelity of life in Jesus Christ.”