Bishop presides at ordination Mass as diocese welcomes nine new permanent deacons

The Diocese of Sacramento welcomed nine men into the permanent diaconate with their ordination by Bishop Jaime Soto on Saturday, June 30. The bishop presided at the ordination Mass at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento.

Photos of the ordination Mass will be published in the September-October issue of Catholic Herald Magazine. The new permanent deacons are: Alfredo Anguiano, who will be assigned to St. Philomene Parish in Sacramento; Gilberto Coss of St. Christopher Parish in Galt; Ruben Fuentes, who will be assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Colusa; Moises Guadarrama, who will be assigned to St. James Parish in Davis; Rafael Moreno, who will be assigned to St. Joseph Parish in Marysville; Antonio Ponce of St. Joseph Parish in Sacramento; Daniel Rangel, who will be assigned to St. John Vianney Parish in Rancho Cordova; Alberto Vargas of St. Dominic Parish in Orland; and Jorge Villalobos of St. Anthony Parish in Winters.

A 2009 survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (at Georgetown University) for the U.S. Catholic bishops estimated that more than 16,000 permanent deacons serve in active ministry in dioceses across the United States. Nearly 150 deacons minister in the Diocese of Sacramento.