PEOPLE of GOD
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words, “that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” may find fertile ground in my soul. Deacon Joseph Baltz will be ordained into the priesthood on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe.
Deacon Joseph Baltz I was born in Albuquerque on March 30, 1993. My parents raised me in the city of Albuquerque until after high-school when I left for seminary. During that time, my home parish was St. Thomas Aquinas under the guardianship of Msgr. Douglas Raun. Regarding my family, some people dread family reunions, this is not the case with me. I love my family, especially when all the cousins, aunts and uncles get together. Anyone who has been blessed with the opportunity to be present at one of our family reunions will witness to the gift that God has given me by placing me in this family. I first considered the priesthood when I was five years old. I didn’t know what I was talking about at the time, but that’s fine, what God uses to get men into the seminary is not necessarily what He uses to keep them there. I would say that I did most of my discernment in seminary. It was there that I fell in love with the Priesthood of Jesus Christ and His liturgy. I first went to Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas to get my philosophy degree and then to Mt. Angel Seminary in Oregon to get my theology degree. During my summers, I have been assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas, Estancia Valley Catholic Parish, Sacred Heart in Española, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Peña Blanca, and St. Anne’s in Tucumcari. I was also sent to Costa Rica for Spanish immersion one summer. I am greatly looking forward to ordination and would appreciate prayers, specifically that Jesus’
may 2020
I attended: St. Dominic Savio Seminary Akpu Anambra State Nigeria, St. John Bosco Seminary Isuaniocha Anambra State Nigeria, Dominican Institute Ibadan Oyo State Nigeria (Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy), Pontificia Facoltà Teologica Teresianum Rome Italy (Sacred Theology Baccalaureate), and Mount Angel Seminary, St. Benedict, Oregon (Masters of Arts in Theology). They were pivotal in my intellectual, pastoral, human, and spiritual formations. I am grateful to my family, archdiocese, archbishop, vocation directors, and friends, who have helped me in discerning the will of God for me. May God bless you for your prayers and support. Please pray for me to be faithful and fulfilled in my vocation, and be assured of my prayers too. Anthony Obinna Ezeaputa will be ordained into the transitional diaconate on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at St. Thomas Aquinas in Rio Rancho.
Anthony Obinna Ezeaputa I was born on February 20, 1985. I was baptized and raised Roman Catholic by my parents, Joseph and Veronica, in Onitsha Anambra State Nigeria. I have four older sisters, two older brothers and one younger sister. St. Charles Borromeo Albuquerque is my home parish. I served in these parishes: Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church Española and St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church Albuquerque. My initial desire to serve as a Roman Catholic priest was nurtured by my parents, and my siblings. One of my family’s daily activities was to attend daily Mass before work and school. While attending daily Mass, I longed to serve as an altar server. As was the custom in my parish, one has to be a communicant to serve as an altar server. So, I was enrolled for the first holy communion catechism classes and received my first holy communion to be able to serve as an altar server. While serving daily at Mass, I began to feel a burning desire to become a priest so as to celebrate Mass for my beloved parents. These wishes brought me to high school seminary, the Discalced Carmelite Order and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. I am thankful to these schools that
Jordan Sanchez I was born on August 1, 1993 in Charlotte, North Carolina to Angela Clarke and Randy Sánchez. Shortly after I was born, our family moved back to Albuquerque, where my dad is from. We are heirs of the Atrisco land grant. I grew up there with my younger sister, Amber, and my late older half-brother, Cole. I was blessed to have a happy childhood in a good home. My parents worked hard to raise us kids well, and I am eternally grateful. I grew up at St. Joseph’s on the Rio Grande parish in Albuquerque, but am now registered at St. Thomas Aquinas in Rio Rancho. I am grateful to the priests at both, who have in some way nurtured
