VICARIATE OF ROME

PRESS RELEASE
PRIESTLY ORDINATIONS FOR THE DIOCESE OF ROME

On Saturday 31, the celebration at Saint Peter’s presided over by Pope Leo XIV. On Thursday 29, the prayer vigil at Saint John Lateran, with testimonies from the ordinands

Eleven new priests for the diocese of Rome: they will be ordained by POPE LEO XIV in the Mass on Saturday 31 May at 10.00, in Saint Peter’s Basilica. The diocese of Rome will pray for them in the vigil for priestly ordinations and for consecrated life, to be held on Thursday 29 May at 21.00 in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, during which there will be catecheses from Fr. MAURIZIO BOTTA and testimonies from the ordinands.

Of the latter, seven received their formation at the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary. They are MARCO PETROLO, destined for the parish of Santa Maria Causa Nostrae Laetitiae; ENRICO MARIA TRUSIANI, who will serve at Santa Maria Consolatrice; FEDERICO PELOSIO, who will go to Santa Teresa di Calcutta; GIUSEPPE TERRANOVA, destined for the community of Santi Fabiano e Venanzio; FRANCESCO MELONE, destined for Santa Silvia; ANDREA ALESSI, who will go to the Sacra Famiglia del Divino Amore; and HONG HIEU NGUYEN, engaged at the parish of Nostra Signore della Visitazione. The following studied at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary: GABRIELE DI MENNO DI BUCCHIANICO, who will go to Gran Madre di Dio; CODY GERARD MERFALEN, destined for San Raimondo Nonnato; MATTEO RENZI, for Santa Maria Madre del Redentore in Tor Bella Monaca; and SIMONE TROILO, who will go to San Carlo da Sezze.

Bishop MICHELE DI TOLVE, head of the area for the care of the diaconate, the clergy and religious life, remarks: “Every vocation comes from the gift of Baptism that these young people received from their families and from the Christian community that raised them. They seriously wanted to set out to understand what is the particular vocation that the Lord has given to each of them. There are those who left a profession, those who decided that their life should be completely dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel and the building up of the Body of Christ that is the Church. It is a great joy for the whole diocese!”.

Some of the ordinands have spoken about the origins of their vocation to Roma Sette, the weekly of the diocese of Rome. MATTEO’s vocation, for example, was “born and matured with the Scripture. At 16, during a retreat, I read the story of Jeremiah, a night two years after the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. They were decisive words for the choice of Seminary”. FRANCESCO, on the other hand, carried out activities in the Seminary with the youth group. Daily prayer with the Gospel of the day was explained to him. “I did many things”, he recalls, “The novelty of silence in prayer opened up another path. At first it was just a few minutes, then it became an ever deeper presence”. ENRICO MARIA was a company administrator, and entered the seminary at the age of 36 to discern whether the desire he had in his heart “was sincere”, he says. “In the eyes of the world I lost so much, but even though I had everything, my heart was restless, I did not love as God had intended. I would not go back, the beauty lies in giving oneself”. ANDREA, a former military officer, matured his vocation around the age of forty, during a period of voluntary work on a beach equipped for people with disabilities, in Focene. “Between prayer, service and sharing, I felt the strong and clear call to the priesthood”, he says, “sealed by the song ‘Come and follow me’. I want to be a priest who is a tool in God’s hands, ‘disappearing into Christ’ as Pope Leo said in the Mass with the cardinals”.

Accreditation procedure – Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in the celebration and the vigil must apply no less than 24 hours before each event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at: press.vatican.va/accreditamenti.

Giulia Rocchi, Press and Social Communications Office of the Vicariate of Rome,
tel. +390669886343/150; +393393749085
e-mail stampa@diocesidiroma.it; giulia.rocchi@diocesidiroma.it

27 May 2025