El Paso Priests To Be Reassigned Later This Summer

If there's anything we Catholics like, it's having the same priest year after year. We tend to go to churches where our favorite priest says Mass because we either like how charismatic he is, or how low key he is, so the idea that a priest who has been in our parish for years and years getting moved to another parish is really upsetting.

Well, get ready to get upset.

Bishop Mark Seitz announced a big reshuffling of El Paso priests and deacons yesterday. About 25 priests and deacons will be leaving their current parishes for new ones. Some of those priests have been in their current assignments for many years. Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas, who has been at St. Pius X since 1988, will be moved to St. Mark effective June 20. The Rev. Wilson Cuevas will be the new priest at St. Pius X.

San Juan Diego will lose the Rev. Ed Roden-Lucero, who has been there since 1995, to his new assignment at St. Thomas Aquinas effective August 1.

Bishop Seitz blogged about the changes saying he is sure that some parishoners will not like the reassignments, but he feels shuffling priests helps the overall Catholic community because when a priest is in one place for too long, the parishioners can overly identify Jesus Christ with the individual priest.

Here is the complete list of priest reassignments:

Effective June 20, 2014
•Monsignor Arturo Bañuelas St. Mark

•Rev. Antonio Mena Corpus Christi
•Rev. Raul Trigueros San Pedro y San Pablo
•Rev. Rolando Fonseca San Juan Diego and Dell City, Assistant Vocations Director
•Rev. Celimo Osorio Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fabens y Santa Rita, Tornillo
•Rev. Ken Ducre Christ the Savior
•Rev. Robert Kobe Our Lady of Peace, Alpine
•Rev. Wilson Cuevas St. Pius X

•Rev. Esteban Sescon Sacramental Minister, St. Mary, Marfa and Sacred Heart, Valentine
•Rev. Jose Vera, OFM Parish Administrator San Francisco Xavier
•Franciscans from Guadalupe Caring for All Saints
•Rev. Saul Pacheco Additional duty as Sacramental Minister Santa Teresita at Fort Hancock

Effective July 11, 2014
•Rev. Mike Alcuino Santa Teresa, Presidio and Missions
•Rev. James Hall St. John, Monahans
•Rev. John Lucido Retiring and will help out in Kermit

Effective Aug. 1, 2014
•Rev. Ed Roden-Lucero St. Thomas Aquinas

•Fraternity of St. Peter Immaculate Conception

Deacon Assignments

Effective June 20, 2014
•Deacon Juan Alvarez St. Pius X

•Deacon William Reyes St. Patrick Cathedral
•Deacon Ignacio Torres Most Holy Trinity
•Deacon Gus Rodriguez Sr. St. Paul

New Deacon Assignments
Effective June 14, 2014
•Victor Acosta St. Rafael

•Sam Bernal San Antonio de Padua
•Luis Carrasco Corpus Christi
•Ricardo Corella St. Thomas Aquinas