Bishop Louis Tylka will ordain four men to the priesthood for the Diocese of Peoria on Saturday, May 27, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria. The Mass will begin at 10:30 a.m.

The ordinands are Deacon Ignacio Cárdenas Morán, Deacon Daniel Dionesotes, Deacon Nathan Hopper and Deacon Patrick Wille. They will offer their first blessings at a reception at the Spalding Pastoral Center after Mass.

Phillip Lee, director of the Office of Divine Worship, said seating could be limited at the cathedral, due to the number of family and guests of the ordinands. To accommodate everyone, the Mass will be livestreamed from the YouTube page on the Diocese of Peoria’s website, cdop.org.

Those to be ordained were invited to answer a few questions in advance of their ordination. Their responses follow. Full profiles will be published in the May 28 issue of The Catholic Post.

Deacon Ignacio Cárdenas Morán was born in Mexico and now claims St. Mary’s Cathedral as his home parish. He is the son of Ricardo Cárdenas Vásquez and Silvia Morán Moya.

Deacon Daniel Dionesotes of Holy Trinity Parish in Bloomington, is the son of Leann and Dave Dionesotes. He went to Holy Trinity (now Corpus Christi) School and Central Catholic High School, both in Bloomington, and then attended Marquette University for two years and Immaculate Heart Mary of Seminary in Winona, Minnesota, for two years. He completed his studies for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

During the summers, Deacon Dionesotes has served as prefect for Emmaus Days, with parish assignments taking him to St. Jude in Peoria, and St. Mary in Moline. His deacon assignment was to St. Philomena in Peoria.

He said it is incredible to think his ordination is finally here and his excitement to be a priest is growing.

“Many people have asked where I want to be placed in my first assignment, but my answer is always the same: I just want to be wherever I can be a priest,” Deacon Dionesotes said.

Deacon Nathan Hopper is from Epiphany Parish in Normal. The son of Dee and Wayne Hopper, he attended Epiphany School and Normal Community High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Illinois State University before entering Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

His summer experiences have included serving the parishes of the Heart of Peoria Catholic Community; as assistant prefect and prefect for Emmaus Days; and at St. Michael the Archangel in Streator and Sts. Peter and Paul in Leonore. He spent last summer at St. Matthew in Champaign.

“Through the examples of many priests, both in the diocese and at seminary, I have seen the enormous effect of passionate and dedicated priests who are committed firstly to God, and through that love of God to God’s people,” Deacon Hopper said. “Having such a strong experience of God’s love naturally makes one want to share that and in ministry, I will get to spend my life helping in a special way to bring God and His people together!”

Deacon Patrick Wille is the son of Mary Therese Wille and Robert Joseph Wille Sr. His home parish is St. Philomena in Peoria, where he attended grade school. He went on to Peoria Notre Dame High School and then the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for a bachelor’s degree in finance.

He studied for the priesthood at Mundelein Seminary, earning a master’s degree in philosophy and religion, and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, receiving master’s degrees in systematic theology and divinity.

Deacon Wille’s summer assignments have taken him to Guatemala to learn Spanish and the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha. He has also served at Nativity of Our Lord in Spring Valley, St. Malachy in Rantoul and St. Elizabeth in Thomasboro, and St. Michael the Archangel in Streator.

What he will bring to ministry is the knowledge that Jesus Christ wants to fulfill our deepest desires so that “they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).

“He has given us the Holy Spirit that we may live in the joy, peace, and freedom of the children of God,” Deacon Wille said. “My role as a priest will be to lead others into this relationship, and I will seek to do so with kindness, humility and compassion.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE: There’s more good news for the Diocese of Peoria — three seminarians will be ordained transitional deacons on May 20. Learn more about them here.