Society
Of The Divine Word

“Holiness is becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. ‘The Imitation of Christ’ is not just a book in the Middle Ages. It is a source of inspiration for us,”

Bishop Lombardo said in his homily.

“I’d like to remind each and every one of us here today that the peace that our Holy Father was speaking about, the peace that our Lord spoke about when He rose from the dead is much more than a lack of war and violence. It is an inner peace when we’re at peace with God, when we’re at peace with ourselves.”

The six men who were ordained to the priesthood on Saturday are almost as diverse as the Society of the Divine Word itself.

Born in Togo, Father Bako Liba, 30, earned a bachelor’s degree in epistemology and philosophy of science from Institut supérieur de Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines (ISPSH) Don Bosco in Lomé before joining the Society. He completed his novitiate in Togo and was sent to the United States for theology.

Father Bako Liba fulfilled his Cross-Cultural Training Program (CTP) in Brazil. While completing his studies at Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago, he served Our Lady of Africa parish as a transitional deacon. He will remain in the Chicago Province for his first assignment, serving in Epworth, Iowa.

Father Castro, 32, emigrated from Mexico to the United States as a child. With his sights on being a priest, he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in counseling and social change from San Diego State University.

He entered the Divine Word novitiate in 2017 and fulfilled his CTP in Brazil. Father Castro graduated from CTU and served Holy Family parish in Houston, Texas, as a transitional deacon. For his first assignment, he will go to Mozambique.

Father Colunga, 33, was born in Mexico and moved to the United States with his parents when he was 12. He attended Lee College in Baytown, Texas, before transferring to Divine Word College in Epworth, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He entered novitiate at Techny in 2018 and fulfilled his CTP in Brazil.

Father Colunga graduated from CTU and went to St. Peter parish in Pine Bluff, Ark., as a transitional deacon. He has been assigned to the Chicago Province and will serve at St. Joseph the Worker in Wheeling, Ill.

Father Cho, 45, was born in South Korea and immigrated to California. He graduated from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif., with a bachelor’s degree in electronics and computer engineering technology.

Before joining the Society, he worked as a civil engineering plan designer and drafter. He entered novitiate in 2017, fulfilled his CTP in Bolivia and graduated from CTU. He has been assigned to the Italy Province.

Father Herrera, 43, a Chicago native, had been active in his parish since his youth, but he had not heard of the Society of the Divine Word until a vocation director approached him. At the time, he was a manager for a large office supply corporation.

In 2014, he enrolled in Divine Word College in Epworth and entered novitiate at Techny in 2017. For his CTP, he served as a missionary in Bolivia. As a transitional deacon, Father Herrera worked at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in San Diego, Calif. For his first assignment, he will go to the Southern Province and serve St. John the Evangelist parish in Gulfport, Miss.

Father Tin Vu, 39, was born in Vietnam. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Lạc Hồng University in Biên Hòa City, Dong Nai, Vietnam. Originally, he studied to be a diocesan priest but joined the Society in Vietnam in 2014 and professed vows in 2016.

In 2018, he began studies at Divine Word College and fulfilled CTP in the Appalachia District. As a transitional deacon, he served Queenship of Mary parish in Joliet, Ill. This spring, he graduated from CTU. His first assignment is with the Western Province, where he will work at Wordnet Productions and serve St. Anthony parish in San Bernardino, Calif.

To read more about our newly ordained priests, please visit www.divineword.org.

(*Theresa Carson is the public relations director and content strategist of the SVD Chicago Province.)