10 men ordained to the priesthood
HUNTERSVILLE — A joyful and historic day for the Diocese of Charlotte unfolded May 30 at St. Mark Church in Huntersville as Bishop Michael Martin ordained 10 men to the priesthood, the most ordained at one time in the history of the diocese.
As the Mass started, Bishop Martin called the occasion “a day of great joy for the Church and for these 10 men as we come together with hearts filled with joy.”
The Liturgy of Ordination drew a crowd of 1,640 people who started arriving more than two hours early to get a seat in the church to witness the solemn and beautiful event.
About 1,400 people filled the pews while another 240 watched a livestream of the ordination from an overflow space at the adjacent St. Mark School. Shuttle buses transported those who parked at a nearby public elementary school to the campus.
The historic landmark of 10 new priests follows the ordinations of six men in 2025 and closely approaches the previous record of seven achieved in both 2000 and 2024. With only two priests retiring this summer, this year’s ordinands will join the 145 priests now serving in some capacity for a Catholic population that tops 575,000.
The newly ordained priests are Father Robert Bauman, Father Michael Camilleri, Father Daniel Chaves Peña, Father John Cuppett, Father Maximilian Frei, Father Juan González Hernández, Father Bryan Ilagor, Father Michael Lugo, Father Peter Townsend and Father James Tweed.
Bishop Martin offered a homily that focused on both the sheer joy of the day and the commitment the men must show to the people they will serve.
“We’re here to rejoice in the thousands whose lives will be touched by Jesus Christ through your hands, through your words,” he said.
The day’s readings from Numbers, Hebrews and John’s Gospel, he said, offered a special focus on the work the men will do as priests, offering the Sacrifice of the Mass and bringing the message of Christ to the world while being conscious of the need to meet people where they are.
“Your voices in this kingly dimension of the priesthood must be believable such that people will follow not just what you say, but follow who you are,” he said. “They need to see Jesus Christ in each of you … You have to sit at the feet of the master and place your lives before Him so that others will see Him.”
The Gospel reading, in which Jesus tells Peter to “feed my lambs,” offered a poignant example of the work the men have ahead of them.
“You have to love the people of God you’re being sent out to serve,” he said. “His sheep are every human person on the face of the Earth, every person in whatever school or parish, every community, every hospital or nursing home. Wherever you go, love them all … you cannot wait for them to come to you, you have to go out to them. That is the nature of the apostolic Church. As you feed them with this holy banquet, you nourish them in ways only the Lord can.”
When the homily concluded, the men lay prostrate during the Litany of Supplication. The bishop then laid his hands on their heads and prayed over them. A long line of more than 95 priests who attended the ceremony then laid hands on the men as a symbol of priestly unity.
The 10 were then vested with their stole and chasuble by priests who had played meaningful roles in their lives. They were anointed with sacred chrism and received bread and wine as a symbol of their new ability to celebrate Holy Mass. They then received the fraternal kiss of peace from Bishop Martin and the other priests in attendance.
The diocesan choir offered a beautiful selection of hymns and anthems during the liturgy, and the choir from Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte sang the offertory hymn “I Love the Lord, He Heard my Cry.”
At the end of the Mass, the new priests processed out of the church to applause from the crowd that had gathered in the courtyard.
Maria Mossman, a parishioner at St. Mark, attended the ordination with her five children, including son Gabriel, 8, who is interested in the priesthood.
“It was so beautiful – I was crying for almost the whole time,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see the tradition of the Church and the fraternity this brings to these men as they become priests.”
After the Mass, the new priests’ families gathered in the church to take pictures with Bishop Martin. They then moved to the parish hall for a reception as the new priests spent more than two hours offering their first blessings.
Father James Tweed’s mother and stepfather, Mary and Tom Hall, had wide smiles on their faces at the end of Mass.
“Today is about celebrating the glory of God and recognizing him as our son and a priest in the line of Melchizedek,” Tom Hall said, referring to the antiphon sung while his son was being vested with his stole and chasuble.
Mary Hall said it was both “overwhelming and humbling” to watch her son being ordained.
“I feel like an overflowing fountain today,” she said. “We’re all just covered in blessings today.”
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy C. Hull, Amy Burger and Patrick Schneider
Following their ordination, Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., announced where each of the new priests will serve, effective July 1:
- Rev. Robert W. Bauman: Chaplain at Appalachian State University in Boone
- Rev. Michael P. Camilleri: Parochial Vicar of St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem
- Rev. Daniel E. Chavez Peña: Parochial Vicar of Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville
- Rev. John W. Cuppett: Chaplain of Christ the King Catholic High School in Huntersville
- Rev. Maximillian K. Frei: Parochial Vicar of St. Pius X Parish in Greensboro
- Rev. Juan González Hernández: Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Monroe
- Rev. Bryan Ilagor: Parochial Vicar of St. Therese Parish in Mooresville
- Rev. Michael J. Lugo: Parochial Vicar of Queen of the Apostles Parish in Belmont
- Rev. Peter J. Townsend: Parochial Vicar of Holy Infant Parish in Reidsville and St. Joseph of the Hills Parish in Eden
- Rev. James C. Tweed: Parochial Vicar serving the faithful serving the faithful at the Catholic Community of Waxhaw
Vesting the new priests
During the May 30 Mass, the newly ordained priests remove their deacon’s stoles and are presented with the symbols of their new office in the Church: a priestly stole and chasuble (vestment). This moment is known as the “investiture.” The priests are assisted by other priests they have personally chosen to vest them.
- Robert Bauman — Father John Eckert, vocations director for the diocese
- Michael Camilleri — Father Bob Ferris, retired diocesan priest
- Daniel Chaves Peña — Father Francisco Javier Mahia
- John Cuppett — Father Jose Palma Torres, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mercy in Winston-Salem
- Maximilian Frei —Monsignor Karl Chimiak
- Juan González Hernández — Father Eusebio Gonzalez Hernandez
- Bryan Ilagor — Father Ricardo Sanchez, pastor of Our Lady of the Americas in Biscoe
- Michael Lugo — Father Herbert Burke, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish
- Peter Townsend — Father Matthew Buettner, spiritual director of St. Joseph College Seminary
- James Tweed — Father Joseph Yellico, chaplain at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
First Masses of Thanksgiving
Following their ordination, the new priests offered the following first Masses:
Deacon Robert Bauman
Sunday, May 31, 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury
Sunday, June 7, for the Feast of Corpus Christi, 10:30 a.m. at St. Ann Church in Charlotte
Deacon Michael Camilleri
Sunday, May 31, 3 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Church in Boone
Deacon Daniel Chaves Peña
Sunday, May 31, 10 a.m. in English at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville
Deacon John Cuppett
Sunday, May 31, noon at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem
Deacon Maximilian Frei
Sunday, May 31, 9 a.m. at St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton
Deacon Juan González Hernández
Sunday, May 31, 1:45 p.m. in Spanish at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville
Deacon Bryan Ilagor
Sunday, May 31, 2 p.m. bilingual at Our Lady of the Americas in Biscoe
Deacon Michael Lugo
Sunday, May 31, at 9 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City
Deacon Peter Townsend
Sunday, May 31, 10:30 a.m. at St. Ann Church in Charlotte
Deacon James Tweed
Sunday, May 31, 9 a.m. at St. Mark Church in Huntersville
Meet the new priests
Father Robert Bauman
Age: 31
Home parish: St. Ann in Charlotte
Born and raised in: Wilmington, NC
Interests/hobbies: Hiking, disc golf, running and reading at a local coffee shop
Summer assignments in the diocese: Sacred Heart in Salisbury, Our Lady of Mercy in Winston-Salem and St. Lucien’s parish / St. Bernadette’s mission in Spruce Pine / Linville.
When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood? “During an eight-day Ignatian silent retreat.”
Father Michael Camilleri
Age: 26
Home parish: St Elizabeth Church, Boone
Born in: Florida
Raised in: North Carolina
Interests/hobbies: Learning languages and calligraphy
Summer assignments in the diocese: St Jude, Sapphire; Our Lady of the Mountains, Highlands; St Gabriel, Charlotte
When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood? “I first heard the call to the priesthood when I was very young – 3 or 4 years old. My family loves to talk about how I used to “play Mass,” which is actually one of my earliest memories. I lost sight of the vocation in late elementary school until right before high school. I wanted to go into computer science.
While preparing to enter high school, by the grace of God, I decided to pursue what He put on my heart from that early age, and I entered the college seminary.”
Father Daniel Chaves Peña
Age: 44
Home parish: Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville
From: Bogotá, Colombia; moved to New Jersey in 1993
His journey of formation led him to missions in Peru from 2016 to 2018, and then to Rome, where he earned his Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology in 2021. In 2023, Chaves joined the Diocese of Charlotte’s seminary program.
When did you first feel a calling to the priesthood? “When I got to what was going to be my last year of high school, I ran cross-country and I was doing pretty well. I had many scholarship offers from universities here in the United States, and in the final race of the state championship in New Jersey, I collapsed just before reaching the finish line. They rushed me to the ER, and they told me it was my sugar levels – they were extremely low. That began a crisis not only health-wise, but spiritually. And I wasn’t getting better. I had relapses, so the decision was made for me to return to Colombia with my mom.”
Father John Cuppett
Age: 28
Home parish: St. Leo the Great in Winston-Salem
Born in: Cary, NC
Raised in: Four Oaks, NC
Vested by: Father Jose Palma Torres
Interest/hobbies: Sports and the outdoors, including hiking and camping
Summer assignments: Missionary work with the order of Jesus Crucified in Louisiana
When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood? Cuppett played baseball at Belmont Abbey College and clarified the call while at college.
“During high school I was interested in joining the seminary after I graduated; however, I did very little in pursuing it and soon it faded into the background. From then on and up until college it was a fun idea, but nothing more. After high school I attended Belmont Abbey College on a baseball scholarship, where I played as a second baseman for four years.
During my time at the Abbey, I met Matthew Harrison, a Charlotte seminarian. I informed him of my past dream of becoming a priest and he invited me to visit St. Joseph College Seminary. I did, and then all my previous desires and hopes for the priesthood came crashing back. I quickly sought help in my discernment with the diocesan Vocations Office. My senior year at the Abbey, I started spiritual direction with Father Brian Becker, the diocese’s promoter of vocations, and he helped me tremendously by answering all my questions, fears and thoughts regarding my vocation. Together we discovered that my call to the priesthood was very real, and he referred me to Father Christopher Gober, diocesan vocations director, to begin the process of applying.”
Father Maximilian Frei
Age: 31
Home parish:St. Dorothy in Lincolnton
Born in: Villingen, Germany
Interests/ hobbies: Chess, fitness and spiritual reading
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte; St. John Church in Waynesville and St. John the Baptist in Tryon
When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood? “The first time I can remember when I had a calling was when I was waiting in the confession line as a kid. Many years later in my mid 20's, after living a worldly and superficial life, it was Our Lord once more who called me to serve him as a priest.”
Father Juan González Hernández
Age:35
Home parish: Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville
Raised in: Mexico City, Mexico
When did you first feel a calling to the priesthood? “It was the day that my brother was ordained a priest in 1997 when I was just about to turn 7 years old. On that day, the light bulb in me lit up and I asked myself, ‘What if I myself become a priest one day, like my brother’”
What was it like to continue your studies by leaving for Spain? “My brother, a priest, and two of my sisters, who were cloistered nuns, lived there. My brother studied in Spain while in seminary and my sisters were also a part of the institute Obra de Amor, which brought them to Spain.
Having them there was helpful, because even though it was a new experience for me, I could be close to my family and learn from them.”
What does it mean to you to be able to serve the Hispanic community in this diocese? “I have lived in many different places with a variety of cultures. I feel as though I mold well to both communities, the Anglo and Hispanic communities. So the idea that my mentor at Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville, Father Andrés Gutierrez, has mentioned is to create a singular and strong community out of both of those cultures. That way, people do not show divisions but, rather, the Church becomes a place where everyone feels like one community.”
What will it mean for you to become a priest? “It is a radical change in my life, because after this moment I will be a representative of not only the Church, but of Jesus Christ. Of course, the responsibility is much bigger, but I am also conscious that God’s grace, the prayers of the faithful and a spiritual life, help to take charge of that weight.”
Father Bryan Ilagor
Age: 30
Home parish: Our Lady of the Americas in Biscoe
Raised in: Zitácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
Interest/ hobbies: “Expanding my knowledge of different cultures, such as Japanese, Korean, Filipino and many others; watching TV and movies and a football fan of La Liga, the Premier League and other leagues.”
Summer assignments in the diocese: Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville and St. Francis of Assisi in Lenoir
When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood?
“Many seminarians can recall dressing up as priests, and that was their realization. However, I did not have a big realization moment. Instead, it was a step I decided to take in my life (at least, that’s how I saw it at first). I was not big into participating in Church activities, but I always found myself helping in the Church instead of going out with my friends to watch a movie. I always found myself at peace while serving the Church.
Hence, if I had to decide a moment in my life when I first realized, it was when I was helping my Pastor Ricardo Sanchez to close the church one night. After locking all the doors of the church, turning off all the lights, and making sure no one was left behind, I met with my pastor at the sanctuary to say goodbye. We were the only ones left at the church, and he asked me a question I have not forgotten. ‘Bryan, do you want to be a priest?’ Before I could respond, he said, “Before you answer, look at the Tabernacle; you are not going to answer to me but to God.” Great. I thought to myself. Now, I can’t lie or give an incomplete answer. I thought, ‘If this is God’s will, I will give it a shot.’ Shortly after, I told my pastor, ‘Yes.’ This first ‘step’ was accepting that God called me to enter the seminary. In the past, many parishioners had said, ‘You should be a priest,’ but dismissed them with ‘I don’t think it is my calling.’ Seven years later, I am here, realizing I will be ordained a deacon in a few months.”
Father Michael Lugo
Age: 25
Home parish: Immaculate Conception in Forest City
Born in: Kansas
Raised in: Rutherfordton, NC
Interests/ hobbies: Running, skiing, euchre, reading and piano
Summer assignments in the diocese: Holy Cross, Kernersville; St. Lucian and St. Bernadette, Spruce Pine/Linville; St. John the Baptist, Tryon
When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood? “There were several points growing up that I remember seriously considering it as an option. But I really started taking it seriously during Quo Vadis Days in the summer of 2018. Throughout the course of that week, spending time in prayer and learning about the priesthood, it seemed to me that the priesthood was the summation of everything I wanted out of life, particularly the way in which the life of a priest is completely dedicated to one thing: the service of God.”
Father Peter Townsend
Age: 25
Home parish:St. Ann in Charlotte
Born in: Racine, Wisconsin
Raised in: Charlotte
Interests/hobbies: “I enjoy playing guitar in my free time and reading a good novel (right now I’m reading Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamozov). I’ve also found that I enjoy learning languages. Right now, I’m working on Spanish and would like to one day work on French (maybe even Italian and German!).”
Summer assignments in the diocese: “During my college days, I participated in the St. Joseph Workers’ program where myself and my brother seminarians traveled around the diocese performing different odd jobs like lawn mowing, mulch spreading, painting.
After entering theology, I spent my summers at St. John the Baptist Parish in Tryon, St. Mark Parish in Huntersville and Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro.”
When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood? “I always knew I wanted to be a priest, so I entered St. Joseph College Seminary straight out of high school.
“I first felt the call to the priesthood when I was about five years old, and the feeling never left me. So, when St. Joseph’s opened in 2016, I knew what I had to do.”
Father James Tweed
Age: 31
Home parish: Sacred Heart in Brevard
What are your hobbies? Working out, writing poetry and prose, walking in the woods, oil painting and hosting friends.
Who is your favorite saint? The Blessed Virgin Mary. When I’m with her, I feel very close to Jesus.
What is your favorite Bible verse? “For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness” (Wisdom 7:25-26).
What was your journey of discernment like? “God planted the seed of my vocation from my earliest years. It grew quietly, nurtured by grace, the sacraments and the loving care of my family.
There were moments when I sensed I was set apart for something special, though I couldn’t yet see what that would be.
Then came the moment during the Steubenville retreat in Atlanta. I was completely unprepared – the thought had never even entered my mind. I did not want this path, and I could not have imagined choosing it myself. Yet, in that moment, I felt an irresistible movement within my heart. It was as if the Lord spoke my name in a way that embraced my whole being, drawing me with a love both commanding and tender. Almost before I knew it, I stood. In that moment, I understood with clarity and joy that my life belonged to Him.”
Any advice for men considering the priesthood? “The joy, peace and purpose that come from embracing God’s plan for your life far surpass any earthly attachment. Do not be afraid to trust Him, even when the path is unclear. God’s call is a gift.”