The Catholic Messenger editor Dan Russo joins The Catholic Morning Show to share the story behind Father Alfonso Pizano's ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Davenport. Russo details Pizano's unconventional path to the altar, from a Los Angeles upbringing and years working at Disneyland to studies with the Jesuits and eventual discernment with the Priests of the Sacred Heart. The conversation highlights how Bishop Dennis Walsh's ordination homily and the wider Davenport Diocese community came together to celebrate the newly ordained priest.
A Winding Road to the Priesthood Catholic Messenger editor Dan Russo joins Bo Bonner to share the story of Father Alfonso Pizano Jr., who was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Davenport on June 6 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Ordained at age 47, Pizano is a native of Bell Gardens, California, and a self-described "late bloomer" whose path to the altar wound through teaching, the Jesuits, and years of discernment before he found his home in the Davenport Diocese.
From Disneyland to Discernment Russo describes how Pizano worked in retail at Disneyland before becoming a high school teacher, then studied with the Jesuits at Loyola Marymount University before eventually discerning a call to diocesan priesthood with the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Hales Corners, Wisconsin — where he first met seminarians from the Davenport Diocese.
A Community United Russo reflects on how Pizano's ordination Mass brought together family from California, lifelong friends (including former Disneyland coworkers Gabriel and Kelly Kunz Rivas), seminarians, and priests from across the diocese — and on Bishop Dennis Walsh's homily about being sent as a laborer into a broken but beloved world.
Read More Dan Russo's full article, "Father Pizano Ordained: California Native Completes 'Long Journey' to Vocation," is available at CatholicMessenger.net, where readers can also sign up for subscriptions and find the paper on Facebook and Instagram.
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