The Most Reverend Peter Baldacchino, Bishop of Las Cruces, ordained two new priests at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The ordination took place on 5:30 PM on Friday, June 19, 2020.

The men who were ordained to the order of the Presbyterate are Mario Ivan Torres and Patrick Montgomery. Mario Ivan Torres completed his theological studies at Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy, while Patrick Montgomery completed his studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, TX. Both also recently completed their ministry as transitional deacons. Their assignments began on June 24 with Fr. Ivan Torres serving as the Parochial Vicar at Our Lord of Mercy, Hatch, and Fr. Patrick Montgomery serving as the Parochial Vicar at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Las Cruces.  
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The order of the Presbyterate is one of the three holy orders of the Church (Episcopate, Presbyterate, and the Diaconate) it is considered to be the second-order of the priesthood. The ordination Mass is a sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a priest and is bestowed with the ability to minister in Christ’s name. The essential rite of the Sacrament takes place during the Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Consecration,
an ancient tradition in the Church that is mentioned in the bible.

Mario Ivan Torres, is a Native of Las Cruces, NM. It was as a senior in Las Cruces High School in 2010 that he felt a spiritual calling to the priesthood while helping at a diocesan retreat. He studied Kinesiology in NMSU and graduated in 2014. He is excited to spend the rest of his life serving as a priest in the diocese of Las Cruces.

Patrick Montgomery, is a Native of New Mexico who graduated from NMSU before entering a 25-year career as an agricultural inspector. It was as an adolescent that Patrick Montgomery discerned a spiritual calling to the priesthood, but it was not until his mid-50’s that the calling that he had a teenager would compel him to join the seminary. For Patrick, it is exciting that his years in seminary will now conclude in a place he calls home.

Ordination Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g8wLDbl1iY
Ordination Pictures:  https://www.rcdlc.org/photoalbums/presbyterial-ordination-2020