For interview and photo requests, contact Jocelyn Thomas, director of communications, at 646-473-0265 or JThomas@HNP.org.
SILVER SPRING, Md. — May 25, 2021 — Two Franciscan friars are scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood at a May 29 Mass at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring. The liturgy will be celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.
The 10 a.m. Mass for Brothers Javier Del Angel De Los Santos, OFM, and Juan de la Cruz Turcios, OFM, will be livestreamed on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of St. Camillus Church, a community known for its many cultures.
Both friars have a deep connection to St. Camillus. Br. Javier completed his 12-month internship at the Silver Spring parish when he was preparing for his profession of solemn vows. For Br. Juan, St. Camillus Parish is like home because he attended Sunday Mass there with his family when he was a child.
Br. Javier, a native of Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in communication. He studied for a master’s degree in communication and socio-cultural studies at ITESO, Universidad Jesuita at Guadalajara. He joined Holy Name Province’s postulancy program in 2013. After professing his first vows in 2015 and making his solemn profession as a Franciscan in 2019, Br. Javier moved to St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, where he has been teaching sacred scripture courses and studying for his master of divinity degree at Boston College, which he received on May 23. He also operates a YouTube channel with Spanish content called Verbum Dei, meaning “The Word of God.” Br. Javier was ordained to the transitional diaconate in April 2020.
Br. Juan grew up in La Uníon, El Salvador, and moved to the United States with his family when he was a teenager, settling in Maryland, where he worshipped at St. Camillus Parish’s mission community in nearby Langley Park. His parents still live in Silver Spring and attend services there.
After joining the HNP postulancy program in 2002, Br. Juan professed his first vows in 2004 and made his final profession in 2009. He served at Sacred Heart Parish in Tampa, Florida, and St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Camden, New Jersey, before moving in 2016 to Chicago – where he completed studies at Catholic Theological Union in April. He also holds an associate’s degree in fine arts and a bachelor’s degree in art history and studio art from the University of South Florida. On May 20, he earned his master in divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Since his ordination to the transitional diaconate last September, Br. Juan has been serving in the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, at several churches, including Sts. Monica and Luke Parish and the Cathedral of the Holy Angels, both in Gary. He has also been providing deacon ministry at the Parish of the Holy Name Church in Cedar Lake, Indiana.
About Holy Name Province
Holy Name Province is the largest of seven entities in the United States belonging to the Order of Friars Minor. With ministries in 12 states along the East Coast, its nearly 300 Catholic priests and brothers serve in colleges, parishes, urban ministry centers and a wide variety of social service ministries, as well as in overseas missions. The Order, founded in 1209 by St. Francis of Assisi, commemorated its 800th anniversary in 2009. Today, St. Francis, whose feast day is Oct. 4, remains one of the most widely known saints, revered for his affection for nature and care for creation.
Information about Holy Name Province can be found on HNP.org. News about its friars and events can be found on the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province Facebook page.