Diocesan priests are different from the Redemptorists in that they are not missionaries. They generally stay within their own Diocese serving their local communities, hense the word Diocesan Priests. Diocesan Priests may stay at a parish for 6 years or more before being reasigned to a new parish within the same Diocese. A diocesan priest take the vows of Chastity and Obedience just as the Redemptorists Missionaries do. He serves within and is obedient (obeys) towards the Bishop of the Diocese that he is in. Most of the time he is a parish priest but the Diocesan priest is not limited to just that. He can serve within the diocese by serving in schools as teachers, chaplains, or campus ministers. He can also minister to the sick in hospitals or in prison.

How long does it take to become a priest? It varies by each Dioceses. If your are currently in college, you are usually required to take an specified amount of Theology and Philosophy classes. For those not in college, this can take two years. Afterwards, the seminarian will go off to Seminary where he will focus on Theology. Usually this will take 4 to 5 years. Some dioceses requires that there be an internship year where the seminarian will serve in a parish within the Diocese. All together, the amount of time it takes to be a priest can take 6 to 10 years. This is about the same time that it takes to become a doctor or a lawyer. Diocesan priests entered OLPH in 1986 and are serving our parish community today. The following is a list of Diocesan Priests who have served at OLPH Parish since 1986.

Rev. Edmon Benedetti Rev. Robert Dunn Rev. Thomas Feeney Rev. John Feminelli Rev. Danny Flores Msgr. Michael Heras

Rev. Fernando Iglesias Rev. Michael Lenihan Rev. Fancisco Lopez Rev. Hanh Van Pham Rev. James Stembler Rev. John Wojtisczyk