15 priests honored at chrism Mass

By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO FC

MIAMI | Fifteen priests currently serving or who have served in the Archdiocese of Miami were honored by Archbishop Thomas Wenski and their fellow priests during the annual chrism Mass, celebrated the Tuesday of Holy Week, April 4, 2023, at St. Mary Cathedral. Here are brief biographies of the jubilarians.

 

 

DIAMOND JUBILARIANS: 60 YEARS

 

Father Fernando Compaired

Born July 4, 1940, in Zaragoza, Aragón, a province in northeastern Spain, Father Compaired was ordained June 29, 1963, for the Diocese of Jaca in Huesca, Aragón. He arrived in the Archdiocese of Miami on April 3, 1977, and began serving as parochial vicar at St. John Bosco, Miami (1977-78). He then served for a few months (February to September 1978) as parochial vicar at Corpus Christi, Miami, before being named parochial vicar at St. John the Apostle, Hialeah, where he remained until being named parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Lakes, Miami Lakes (1982-88). At the same time, he served as associate director for the Spanish-speaking Charismatic Renewal Movement. In July 1988 he was named administrator, and two years later pastor, of the newly established parish of Mother of Our Redeemer in northwestern Miami-Dade County. He remained there until his retirement in March 2007. Father Compaired also served for a number of years on the Archdiocesan Permanent Diaconate Advisory Board.

 

 

Father George Duffy

Father Duffy was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 20, 1937, and was ordained for the Diocese of Brooklyn June 1, 1963. He served at Our Lady Help of Christians Church there from September 1963 to February 1976. He came to the Archdiocese of Miami on March 1, 1976, and served at St. James in North Miami until September 1977, when he also began serving at St. Ann in Naples (then part of the archdiocese). After his incardination as a Miami priest on Aug. 30, 1978, he was named parochial vicar at St. Ann (1977-82). He then served as parochial vicar at a number of churches: Nativity in Hollywood (1982-83), St. Ambrose in Deerfield Beach (1983-85), St. Malachy in Tamarac (1985-86), St. Pius X in Fort Lauderdale (1986-90), St. Mary Star of the Sea in Key West (1990-91), St. Ambrose in Deerfield Beach (1991-93), St. Henry in Pompano Beach (1993-98) and St. Gregory in Plantation (1998-2002). He retired on June 30, 2002.

 

 

Father Daniel Kent

Father Kent was born Nov. 23, 1937, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He studied at St. Norbert’s College and St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin, and was ordained for the Norbertine Order on Dec. 21, 1963. He later obtained a master’s degree in Spanish from the Universidad Internacional. He taught at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware (1964 to 1978), and at Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut (1978-79). Then he began teaching at Archbishop Curley (later Curley-Notre Dame) High School in Miami (1979-84) while residing at St. Francis de Sales, Miami Beach. He incardinated as a Miami priest on Feb. 23, 1983. He served as spiritual director at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami (1984-88), then as parochial vicar at St. James in North Miami (1988-91) and director of the archdiocesan Respect Life Ministry (1991-92), with residence at St. James and St. Bartholomew in Miramar. From July 1992 until his retirement in December 2002, he taught at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, residing there except for his stay at St. Catherine of Siena in Miami (1993-97).

 

 

Father Joseph Maroor

Father Maroor was born Feb. 2, 1935, in Chirakadavu, a village in the state of Kerala, India. He was ordained March 11, 1963, for the Diocese of Changanacherry in Kerala, having obtained a bachelor’s degree in theology from St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary in Alwaye, Kerala. He later obtained a doctorate in physics. After working in his home diocese, he arrived in Miami in July 1991, to serve as a summer substitute at St. Gregory Parish in Plantation. He then served at Visitation Parish in North Miami (1992-93); as parochial vicar at St. Maximilian Kolbe, Pembroke Pines (1992-96), St. Coleman, Pompano Beach (1996-98), and again at St. Maximilian Kolbe (1998-2002). Appointed administrator of St. Vincent Church in Margate, he served there from 2002 to 2009. He was assigned as parochial vicar at St. Paul the Apostle in Lighthouse Point from 2009 until his retirement in November 2016. Father Maroor was elected twice to serve on Miami’s Presbyteral Council and also served as chaplain to the Knights of Columbus council at St. Paul the Apostle.

 

 

 

GOLDEN JUBILARIANS: 50 YEARS

 

Father Alexander Ekekchukwu, Spiritans

Father Ekekchukwu was born July 10, 1943, in Emekuku, Nigeria, and entered the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritan Fathers) on Feb. 2, 1967. He was ordained April 29, 1973, in his native Nigeria. From 1973 to 1977, he studied at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in theology. He also obtained a master’s degree in 1985 from the University of London, England. He understands and can read in Spanish and French. In Nigeria, he served as parochial vicar in Isienu Parish, Nsukka (1977-78); lecturer and dean in the Bigard House of Theology (1978-84); campus minister at the University of Ilorin (1986-87); and provincial superior (1988-96). In 1997, he arrived in the Archdiocese of New York, serving as pastoral assistant until 2000. He returned to Enugu, Nigeria, to serve as lecturer in theology at the Spiritan International School of Theology (2002-02), and from there was sent to the Archdiocese of Miami, where he served as parochial vicar at St. Agatha, Miami, from 2002 to 2013. He was then named to his current post as administrator of Holy Redeemer in Liberty City.

 

 

Msgr. Michael Hippee

Msgr. Hippee was born Jan. 11, 1947, in Madison, Wisconsin, and was ordained for the Diocese of Madison May 18, 1973. He served as parochial vicar at the cathedral there (1973-76), secretary to the bishop (1974-91), judge and judicial vicar at the diocesan tribunal (1978-96) and finally pastor of St. Bernard in Madison from 1993 until his retirement in 2013. He now lives in South Florida and continues to help at various parishes.

 

 

Father Inocencio Llamas

Father Llamas was born Oct. 22, 1945, in Zamora, Spain, and ordained for the Salesians July 14, 1973. In 1976 he joined the Diocese of Cabimas in Maracaibo, Venezuela, where he served as chancellor (1976-77), spiritual advisor to the Charismatic Renewal (1977-92), and advisor to the Centro Paz (1992-97), all while serving as a parish pastor. He speaks Spanish and Italian and can read English, French and Portuguese. Since arriving in Miami in 2014, Father Llamas has been assisting at various parishes, most recently St. Agnes in Key Biscayne.

 

 

Father Edmond Prendergast

Father Prendergast was born July 31, 1948, in Clogheen, County Tipperary, Ireland. He studied at St. Augustine College, County Waterford, and St. John College, Waterford, before being ordained for the Archdiocese of Miami in his home parish of Ballybacon, June 10, 1973. The summer prior to ordination he served as a deacon at Visitation Parish in North Miami. Arriving in South Florida after his ordination, he served as parochial vicar at St. Joseph in Stuart (then part of the archdiocese), St. Patrick, Miami Beach (1974-76), Immaculate Conception in Hialeah (1976-83), and St. Vincent in Margate (1983-85). On July 1, 1985, he was named to his current assignment, founding pastor of St. Bonaventure in Davie.

 

 

Msgr. José Juan Quijano

Born April 6, 1943, in Guantánamo, Cuba, Msgr. Quijano was ordained Dec. 28, 1973, and ministered in the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba before coming to South Florida in 1988. Since then, he has served at St. John Bosco Church in Little Havana and Immaculate Conception in Hialeah, where he continues to help out on weekends. Sent for higher studies in Rome in 1988, he taught at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach from 1990 until his retirement in July 2017, taking a two-year respite in 2000, when he returned to Rome for more studies. Msgr. Quijano was given the title of monsignor, specifically Chaplain to His Holiness, in January 2013.

 

 

Father Paul Vuturo

Father Vuturo was born Aug. 14, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, but moved with his family to St. Rose of Lima, Miami Shores, while in elementary school. He entered St. John Vianney Seminary after elementary school, completing high school and an associate degree there. (It was a high school seminary at the time.) He continued his studies for the priesthood at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach and was ordained for the archdiocese May 12, 1973. He has served as parochial vicar at St. Brendan, Miami (1973-74), St. Mary Cathedral (1974-76), Sacred Heart in Lake Worth (1976-77), and St. James, North Miami (1977-82). He also served as archdiocesan director of Religious Education (1978 to 1983) and president of Msgr. Edward Pace High School (2007-mid-2010s). In the 1980s he served as a member of the committee on Popular Piety; as chaplain to the Hialeah Police Department; as chair of the archdiocese’s Art and Architecture Committee; and as member of the first archdiocesan Synod’s Preparatory Commission on Worship and Spiritual Life. In 1982, he was appointed pastor of St. John the Apostle, Hialeah, where he served until his June 1986 appointment as administrator, and later pastor, of St. Bartholomew in Miramar. In October 2010, he was named pastor of St. Louis in Pinecrest, where he served until his retirement in January 2023.

 

 

SILVER JUBILARIANS: 25 YEARS

Father Yaw John Aduseh-Poku

Born July 13, 1968, in Besease-Ejisu, Ghana, Father Aduseh-Poku was ordained July 25, 1998, for the Diocese of Konongo-Mampong in Ghana. He served there in a number of roles – member of the Liturgical and Justice and Peace commissions, cathedral administrator, pastor, and university lecturer, among others – while also doing summer apostolates in Glasgow, Scotland; London, England; Malta; New York; and Orange Park, Florida. He has a doctorate in pastoral counseling from Hebrew Union University in New York and a master’s in systematic theology from St. John’s University in New York. He began working in the Archdiocese of Miami in September 2019, first, as parochial vicar at St. Hugh, Coconut Grove. In 2021 he joined the faculty of St. Thomas Aquinas High School while living at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Fort Lauderdale. Since June 2022, he has served as parochial vicar at St. Edward, Pembroke Pines, with residence at St. Mark in Southwest Ranches.

 

 

Father Fernando Carmona

Father Carmona was born April 22, 1973, in Villa Mercedes, San Luis, Argentina. He studied theology at Jesús el Buen Pastor Seminary and was ordained for the Diocese of Villa de la Concepción del Río Cuarto, in the province of Cordoba, Argentina, Nov. 1, 1998. He served as pastor in two parishes there, St. Joseph in Buchardo (1998-2009) and Santa Rosa de Lima in Arias (2011-13). In 2014, he came to the United States, settling in New Jersey and serving as parochial vicar at St. John Neumann in North Cape May (2014-15), St. Monica in Atlantic City (2015-18) and Sacred Heart in Camden (2018). In December 2018, he arrived in South Florida and was assigned as parochial vicar at Nativity, Hollywood. He then served as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Doral, from June 2019 to September 2020. Since then, he has been serving as parochial vicar at St. Patrick, Miami Beach, where he also served as chaplain of the Knights of Columbus council until September 2022.

 

 

Father Luis Silva

Father Silva was born July 15, 1965, in Garzón, Colombia. He studied at San Jose Seminary in Bogotá, Colombia, and St. John’s Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. Ordained May 29, 1998, for the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, he served as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Crookston (1998-2000), and as pastor at St. Stephen Church in Stephen (2000-01) and St. Francis Church in Lake Park (2001). In October 2021 he joined the U.S. Army as a chaplain, attaining the rank of captain. From 2003 to 2006, he served as parochial vicar at St. James Cathedral in Orlando, Florida. From 2006 to 2007, he served as a U.S. Army chaplain in Kuwait. Fluent in Spanish and English, he currently serves as the Catholic chaplain at the Federal Detention Center in Miami.

 

 

 

Father Peter Claver Sutinga

Father Sutinga was born in Nadowli, Ghana, July 5, 1964, and ordained for the Diocese of Damongo, Ghana, Aug. 1, 1998. After ordination, he served as a parish priest until 2002, when he was sent for higher studies at the Gregorian University in Rome. There he obtained a bachelor’s in social sciences and a master’s in communications. Returning to Ghana, he served as diocesan director of communications (2005-14), parish priest (2010-14), director of interreligious dialogue (2010-14) and pastor (2015). He arrived in South Florida in 2015 and has been serving as parochial vicar at St. Bonaventure in Davie.

 

 

Father Juan Velez-Giraldo

Father Giraldo was born July 4, 1961, in El Pao, Venezuela, and ordained Sept. 13, 1998, for the Prelature of Opus Dei. He attended elementary and high school in Philadelphia, studied medicine at the University of Navarra, Spain, studied theology at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and got a doctorate in theology from the University of Navarra. He speaks English, Spanish and French. His Opus Dei assignments have taken him to Cambridge, Massachusetts; Princeton, New Jersey; Los Angeles, San Francisco and Berkeley, California; Darien and Chicago, Illinois; and the Archdiocese of Miami since 2018. His ministry includes preaching retreats and providing spiritual direction to college students, young adults and professionals.