Photo by Julianna Leopold

SMYRNA–Archbishop Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv., of Atlanta, conveys the following announcements regarding priestly ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, effective July 1, 2025: 

Pastors and administrators  

• Father Michael Onyekuru, JCD, V.F., is appointed judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. 
• Father Daniel Ketter, JCL, is appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Atlanta. 
• Father Terence “Terry” Crone is appointed pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church, Hapeville. 
• Father Cong Nguyen is appointed administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Church, Blairsville. 
• Father Dung “Young” Nguyen, JCL, is appointed pastor of St. Gerard Majella Church, Fort Oglethorpe. 
• Father Mario Lopez is appointed pastor of St. Augustine Church, Covington. 
• Father Roberto Herrera is appointed administrator of St. John Paul II Mission, Gainesville. 
• Father Michael Revak is appointed administrator of St. Mary Magdalene Church, Newnan. 
• Father Roberto Suarez is appointed administrator of St. Helena Church, Clayton. 
• Father Luis Alvarez is appointed pastor of Good Samaritan Church, Ellijay. 
• Father Noble Ambalathuruthel, MSFS, is appointed administrator of St. Marguerite d’Youville Church, Lawrenceville. 
• Father Miller Gómez is appointed administrator of St. Bernadette Church, Cedartown. 
• Father Brian Bufford is appointed pastor of St. Anna Church, Monroe. 
• Father Timothy Gallagher is appointed pastor of St. Catherine Labouré Church, Jefferson. 
• Father Joseph Wagner is appointed pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Carrollton. 
• Father José Raul De Leon, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, is appointed pastor of St. Mark Church, Clarkesville. 
• Father Scott Reilly, LC, is appointed pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Church, Cumming. 

Parochial vicars  

• Father Nicholas Le is appointed parochial vicar of Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Atlanta. 
• Father Duvan Gonzalez is appointed parochial vicar of St. John the Evangelist Church, Hapeville. 
• Father Anthony Baffour is appointed parochial vicar of All Saints Church, Dunwoody. 
• Father “Tan” Robert Pham is appointed parochial vicar of Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Norcross. 
• Father Santosh Salve, MSFS, is appointed parochial vicar of St. John Neumann Church, Lilburn. 
• Father Salomon Garcia is appointed parochial vicar of St. Mary Church, Rome. 
• Father Carlos Vargas is appointed parochial vicar of St. Lawrence Church, Lawrenceville. 
• Father Joseph Mullakkara, MSFS, is appointed parochial vicar of Holy Family Church, Marietta. 
• Father Cristian Cossio is appointed parochial vicar of Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta. 
• Father Miguel Espín Arcos is appointed parochial vicar of Good Shepherd Church, Cumming. 
• Father Jaime Rivera is appointed parochial vicar exclusively of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta. 
• Father Juan Guerrero, OSA, is appointed parochial vicar of St. Catherine of Siena Church, Kennesaw. 
• Father Ignacio Peres, JCL is appointed parochial vicar of St. Joseph Church, Dalton. 
• Father Bradley Starr is appointed parochial vicar of St. Clare of Assisi Church, Acworth, while continuing studies in canon law. 

Special assignments  

• Father Hieu Ha is appointed hospital chaplain of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, with pastoral ministry to the Vietnamese Catholics of St. Michael Church, Gainesville. 
• Father Balappa Selvaraj is appointed hospital chaplain of Northside Hospital, Atlanta. 
• Father Joseph Pottemmel, MSFS is appointed chaplain of the Monastery of the Visitation, Snellville. 

Varia  

• Msgr. Richard Lopez (senior priest) changes residence to Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Atlanta. 
• Father Robbie Cotta (chaplain of St. Pius X High School) changes residence to Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Atlanta. 
• Father Bryan Small is granted permission to serve ‘ad experimentum’ as a missionary priest in the Diocese of Broome, Australia. 
• Father Gatien Ngah is appointed chaplain of St. Mary’s Academy, Fayetteville, with residence at St. Matthew Church, Tyrone. 
• Father Roberto Orellana, pastor of St. Augustine Church, Covington, and a priest of the Archdiocese of Atlanta is granted retirement. We are grateful for his many years of faithful ministry. 
• The Society of Mary (Marists) priests who have graciously staffed the parish of Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Atlanta, are being reassigned for other ministries by their provincial superior. We are grateful to Father James Duffy, SM; Father Kevin Duggan, SM; Father John Ulrich, SM, and Father Ed Sheehan, SM, (retired) for their service in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. 
• Father Matthew VanSmoorenburg, LC, pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Church, Cumming, is being transferred to another apostolate to be determined by the Legionaries of Christ. We are grateful for his faithful ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.