Bishop Peter Christensen announced the following new assignments effective July 1, 2022:
Father Remigius Chukwuemeke Ihim, who will be Pastor at St. Thom-as Parish in Coeur d’Alene, came to the Diocese of Boise in the fall of 2021 to serve as a Sacramental Minister at Risen Christ Parish in Boise. He assumed full duties for the parish after the retirement of Monsignor Joseph da Silva.
Father Ihim was born on May 5, 1967, in Aba, the largest commercial center in the State of Abia in south-eastern Nigeria. Father Ihim attended the Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 19, 1997 at Assumption Cathedral in Owerri.
He was Parochial Vicar for two parishes during the first three years of his priesthood and then became a pastor, and served as such in several Nigerian parishes for the next 20 years. From 2003-04, he was a confessor at a seminary and from 2013-21 was secretary of the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association. From 2007-16, he was president of the Ikeduru Priests and Religious Association. In 2019, he received permission from his bishop to take a sabbatical to the United States, primarily to Brooklyn to visit family and friends. Part of that sabbatical also included a visit to London to see his friend and former classmate, Father Onyema Okorie, who, at the time, was serving in the Diocese of Fresno as a military chaplain. Father Okorie later came to Idaho to serve as a chaplain at Mountain Home Air Force Base. He invited Father Remigius to visit Idaho, where he also met with Bishop Peter Christensen and became intrigued by the idea of serving in the Diocese of Boise.
Father Michael A. St. Marie, who is appointed Pastor at All Saints Parish in Lewiston, has been serving since 2018 as Pastor at Our Lady of the Val-ley Parish in Caldwell.
Born on Sept. 12, 1958, in Lewiston, he attended the University of Idaho, earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education before entering Mount Angel Seminary. He attended Mount Angel Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on June 9, 1993, in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist by Bishop Tod D. Brown.
He served as Parochial Vicar at St. Mark’s Parish, Boise, from 1993 to 1994, and at San Marcos Parish, Cali, Colombia from 1994 to 1996. From 1996-99, Father St. Marie was Pas-tor at St. Elizabeth’s Parish, Gooding; St. Peter’s Parish, Shoshone; and St. Anthony Station, Wendell. In 1999, he was appointed pastor at Holy Rosary Parish in Idaho Falls. In 2006, he became pastor at St. Nicholas Parish, Rupert, and St. Therese Parish in Burley. He was appointed Pastor at St. Edward’s Parish, Twin Falls, including Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel in 2009. He was named Pastor at St. Mary’s Parish, Moscow and St. Mary’s Station, Genesee in 2012 before returning to St. Edward’s in 2013. He served there until his appointment to Caldwell in 2018.
Father Joshua Falce, who is appointed is Parochial Vicar at All Saints Parish in Lewiston, has been serving as Parochial Vicar at St. Edward’s Parish in Twin Falls.
Father Falce was born in Mount Pleasant, Mich., but grew up in Washington state. He double-majored in history and philosophy at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. As an undergraduate, he became involved at St. Augustine Catholic Student Center in Moscow, and later enrolled at Mount Angel Seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 3, 2021, by Bishop Peter Christensen.
Father José de Jesús González, who is appointed Pastor at Our Lady of the Valley in Caldwell, was born Nov. 17, 1972, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1997, settling in Jerome. In 2002, he entered the diocesan seminary program and lived at the Bishop Treinen House, Boise, while studying English at Boise State University. After several pastoral assignments, he completed his seminary studies at Mount Angel Seminary and was ordained by Bishop Michael P. Driscoll on June 5, 2008, in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
From 2008-10, Father González served as Parochial Vicar at Mary Immaculate Parish, St. Anthony; Good Shepherd Station, Driggs; St. Patrick Chapel, Rexburg; and Chapel of the Pines, Island Park. In 2011, he was named Administrator of St. Bernard’s Parish, Blackfoot and St. Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel, Fort Hall. In 2014, he was appointed Pastor and has served there since his most recent appointment to Caldwell.
Father Germán Ruis Rebollo, who is appointed Parochial Vicar at St. Paul’s in Nampa, was born on May 28, 1984, in Maravatio, Michoacán, Mexico. He studied at the Diocesan Seminary of Morelia and was ordained on June 9, 2011, by Archbishop Alberto Cardenal Suárez Inda. He served as Parochial Vicar at four parishes in Michoacán before coming to the United States in 2019, where he was a Parochial Vicar at St. John Paul II Parish in Idaho Falls, which also includes mission churches in Roberts and Mud Lake.
Father Paul O’Donnell, who is appointed Pastor at St. Mark’s Parish in Boise, was born in 1955 and is originally from Illinois, although he spent some formative years in New Jersey before attending college at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles. After five years exhibiting profession-ally and illustrating books, he followed a strong call to the priesthood. His formation took place in Canada, Chicago and Rome.
Father O’Donnell was ordained for the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus on March 20, 1993, by Bishop Juan Arzube, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. After his ordination, he was sent as a missionary to the Philippines for seven years. Then followed mission experiences in Mexico before assignments at two parishes in South-Central Los Angeles. For three years, he was chaplain for the Carmelites of Alhambra, followed by more parish work in East L.A., Santa Maria and, most recently in Lomita, Calif., where has been Pastor of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Catholic Church for the last nine years.
Father Ben Uhlenkott began duties on May 1 as Pastor of Risen Christ Parish in Boise. Born on Feb. 17, 1979, in Cottonwood, Father Uhlenkott studied at Mount Angel Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood June 8, 2006, by Bishop Michael Driscoll in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise.
Father Uhlenkott served as Parochial Vicar at Holy Apostles Parish, Meridian from 2006-07 and then at Holy Spirit Parish in Pocatello from 2007-08, followed by Risen Christ Parish in Boise from 2008-10.
In 2010, he studied Spanish in Mexico during the summer and upon his return was appointed Pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Mountain Home, serving there, and at its mission churches in Glenns Ferry and Bruneau, from 2010-13. He was appointed Pastor at St. Mark’s Parish in 2013, serving there until October 2021 after which he had been on sabbatical until his appointment to Risen Christ.
Father Bradley D. Neely, who is appointed Pastor at Our Lady of the Lake in McCall, was born Oct. 22, 1955, in Moscow. He studied at Mount Angel Seminary and was ordained a priest June 5, 2003, by Bishop Michael P. Driscoll at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise.
Father Neely was appointed Parochial Vicar at the Cathedral from 2003-05. He was named Administrator at Sts. Peter and Paul, Grangeville from 2005-08, after which he was appointed Pastor there in 2008, including mission churches in Nez Perce and White Bird. In 2010, he was named Priest Moderator at St. Mary’s in Moscow and Genesee. In 2012, he was appointed Pastor at All Saints Parish in Lewiston, including Sacred Heart at Lapwai, and has served there since.
Father Costance Swai, ALCP/OSS, who is appointed Parochial Vicar at Sacred Heart Parish in Boise, was born on Sept. 24, 1981, in Tanzania. He studied philosophy at the Apostles of Jesus Philosophicum in Nairobi, Kenya, and theology at Jordan University College in Morogoro. He was ordained on July 10, 2014, by Bishop Isaac Amani in the Diocese of Moshi.
After his ordination, Father Swai served for two years as a Parochial Vicar and then for one year as a seminary instructor in Tanzania. He arrived in Idaho in June of 2017, where he began serving as Parochial Vicar at St. George’s in Post Falls, St. Joseph’s in Spirit Lake and St. Stanislaus in Rathdrum. In July 2020, he was apointed Parochial Vicar for Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Pocatello and chaplain at St. John’s Student Center on the Idaho State University campus.
Father Germán Osorio, who is appointed Military Chaplain at Gowen Field in Boise for the Idaho Air National Guard and Priest-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, was born May 19, 1978 in Pácora, Colombia. He studied at the Colegio Marco Fidel Suárez in Pácora and Our Lady of the Rosary Seminary in Manizales, both in Caldas, Colombia; and at the Seminary of John Paul II in Armenia.
In 2003, Father Osorio came to the United States, staying at the Bishop Treinen House in Boise and studying English at Boise State University. He studied at Mount Angel Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Michael P. Driscoll on June 10, 2010, in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
He served as Parochial Vicar at St. Paul’s, Nampa, including St. Joseph’s, Melba, Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Oreana, and Our Lady of Tears in Silver City from 2010-13. From 2013-15, he was Parochial Vicar at St. Mary’s/Good Shepherd, in Soda Springs, including Blessed Sacrament, Montpelier; Our Lady of Lourdes, Lava Hot Springs; and St. Peter’s, Preston. In 2017, he was appointed Pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mountain Home.
Father Jose T. Ramirez, who is appointed Pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mountain Home, was born Sept. 15, 1984, in Iramuco, Guanajuato, Mexico. He entered the Bishop Treinen House of Discernment and Formation in Boise and studied at Mount Angel Seminary, Saint Benedict, Ore. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Michael P. Driscoll on June 10, 2010, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise.
Father Ramirez served as Parochial Vicar at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist from 2010-12 and at Risen Christ, Boise from 2012-13. In 2013, he was named Parochial Vicar at St. John Paul II, Idaho Falls, including St. Ann’s, Mud Lake; St. Anthony’s, Roberts; and Our Lady of Guadalupe, Shelley, serving there until 2015. In 2015, he was named Administrator and later Pastor at St. Elizabeth’s in Gooding, including mission churches in Wendell and Shoshone.
Father Sipho Mathabela, who is appointed Pastor at Our Lady of Limerick in Glenns Ferry and St. Bridget’s in Bruneau, was born May 24, 1963, in Swaziland. He studied at Mount Angel Seminary and was ordained Sept. 8, 2001, in Polokwane, South Africa, for the Benedictines, by Bishop Mogale Paul Nkhumishe.
Father Mathabela served in various positions in parishes, schools and ministries in the Diocese of Polokwane, before coming to the Diocese of Boise in 2010. His first assignment in this Diocese was as Parochial Vicar and later Administrator at St. Theresa’s in Orofino, including its mission churches in Kamiah and Pierce, serving there from 2010 to 2020. In 2020, he was named Pastor at Good Shepherd Parish in Soda Springs, including mission churches in Lava Hot Springs, Montpelier, Preston and Malad. He served there for one year before becoming Parochial Vicar at Sacred Heart Parish in Boise where he has served for the past year.
Father Pawel Jozef Pawliszko, who is appointed Parochial Vicar at St. Edward’s Parish in Twin Falls, was born on March 24, 1996, in Wroclaw, Poland. He entered seminary immediately after high school at Metropolitan Higher Seminary and the Papal Faculy of Theology, both in Wroclaw. He studied Theology at Sts. Methodius and Cyril Seminary in suburban Detroit and was ordained on June 3, 2021, by Bishop Peter Christensen in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
His first assignment was as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Valley in Caldwell, where he has served the past year.
Father Hippolytus Ezenwa, SMMM, who is appointed Pastor at St. Elizabeth’s in Gooding, including mission churches in Wendell and Shoshone, was born on Dec. 17, 1969, in Nigeria. He attended Bigard Memorial Seminary and was ordained on July 22, 2000, for the Congregation of the Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy.
Father Ezenwa served as Parochial Vicar in parishes in Nigeria before continuing his studies. He came to the United States in 2011 serving parishes in Texas before coming to Idaho in 2019, where his first assignment was as Parochial Vicar at St. John Paul II Parish in Idaho Falls. In 2021, he was named Parochial Vicar at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Coeur d’Alene.
Father Henry Carmona who is re-appointed as Pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Community and St. John’s Student Center in Pocatello, was born on Aug. 7, 1949, in Cali, Colombia. He attended San Pedro Seminary in Cali and the Major Seminary of Bogota before enrolling at Mount Angel in Oregon. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Boise by Bishop Alberto Giraldo on July 20, 1978, in Cali.
Following ordination, he served in parishes in Cali and in Idaho as an associate pastor at San Juan Bautista, Cali (1978-79) and St. Hubert’s, Homedale (1979). He served as Pastor for San Juan Bautista in Cali from 1979 to 1981 and at San Marcos in Cali from 1981 to 1985 and again from 1987 to 1990. In 1985-86, he was administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Nampa. In 1986-87, Father Carmona enrolled in graduate classes in Bogota, and again for six months in 1992, graduating with a degree in Canon Law. During 1991, he was administrator at St. Hubert’s in Homedale.
In 1992, he returned full-time to Idaho, serving as a Pastor at Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Oreana, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, Nampa from 1992 to 1995 and then at St. Nicholas in Rupert from 1995 to 2003. In 2003, he was named Rector at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, serving there until 2015 when he was appointed Pastor at Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Pocatello. He also served as Administrator at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Mountain Home from 2009 to 2010.
Father Emil Parafiniuk, who is appointed Parochial Vicar, at Holy Spirit Catholic Community and St. John’s Catholic Student Center in Pocatello, was born on Nov. 24, 1983 in Poland. He attended the Papal Faculty of The-ology in Warsaw and was ordained in 2008 by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski in the Diocese of Warsaw-Praga. After a few years serving in a parish, he was named director for his diocese’s Youth and Young Adults Office. In 2016, he was nominated as director of the National Office for World Youth Days and the executive secretary of the Youth Ministry Council for the Polish Bishops’ Conference. He also served as a coordinator for the European Vocations Service and as the executive secretary of the vocations section of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe.
Father Parafiniuk moved to the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, in March of 2021 with the intention of doing parish work, but the diocese assigned him to be its director of youth ministry. However, he was also appointed as a Priest-in-Residence at our Lady of Hope in Middle Village, New York, to give him more opportunities to speak English. He came to Idaho for the first time in April 2021 and later attended the ordination of his friend, Father Aleksander Dembowski. He moved to Idaho earlier this year and has been serving at St. Mark’s Parish.
Father Mark Uhlenkott, who is appointed Parochial Vicar at St. John Paul II Catholic Community in Idaho Falls, was born on Feb. 1, 1987 in Grangeville and is from Cottonwood. He graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, and Mount Angel Seminary. He was ordained on June 9, 2016, by Bishop Peter Christensen at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
He completed a hospital chaplaincy program in Anchorage and studied Spanish in Morelia, Mexico, before a nine-month internship at St. Edward’s Parish in Twin Falls. His first assignment after ordination was as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Valley in Caldwell, where he served until 2018 when he was named Pastor at St. Therese the Little Flower Parish in Burley for the next two years. After a one-year release from assignment to care for a family member, he was appointed Parochial Vicar at All Saints Parish in Lewiston beginning in July 2021.
Father John Gathungu, who is appointed Parochial Vicar at St. John Paul II Catholic Community with primary responsibility for its mission churches of St. Ann’s in Arco and St. Barbara’s in Mackay, was born on April 28, 1961, in Kenya. He attended Catholic University in Nairobi, St. Augustine’s Seminary in Bungonia and St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Nairobi. He was ordained a priest on Jan. 1, 1990, by Bishop Nicodemus Kirima for the Diocese (later Archdiocese) of Nyeri, Kenya.
Father Gathungu served in a variety of parishes in Nyeri, including at a Pastoral Center before he went for further studies in 1993 at The Catholic University of Eastern Africa where he graduated with a master’s degree in Religious Studies in 1996. He served as Catholic Education Secretary while residing at Our Lady of Consolata Cathedral in Nyeri.
In 2008, Father Gathungu came to Idaho, residing at St. Gertrude Monastery in Cottonwood, and later at Holy Trinity Station, Nezperce. He was appointed in 2011 as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Lake Parish, McCall; St. Katharine Drexel Station, Cascade; and St. Jerome Chapel, Riggins, serving there until 2013. He was then named Administrator at St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Saint Maries, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Harrison from 2013-15.
In 2015, Father Gathungu was appointed Administrator at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Grangeville, including Holy Trinity Station in Nez Perce and Sacred Heart Chapel in Whitebird. In 2019, he was appointed Pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Salmon with mission churches in Challis, Mackay and Leadore.
Father John Mosier, who is appointed Pastor at St. Charles Borromeo in Salmon and St. Louise in Challis, was born Dec. 1, 1962 in Kansas City. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and then as vice president of Sony Corporation’s biotechnology business unit, with assignments in Austria, Germany and Holland. After his wife Jackie’s death, he entered Mount Angel Seminary at age 51 in 2014. In additional to a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Theology from Mount Angel, he also earned a Baccalaureate of Sacred Theology with an emphasis in linguistics from Saint Anselmo in Rome. He was ordained on June 6, 2019, by Bishop Peter Christensen in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
After his ordination, Father Mosier was named Parochial Vicar and then Administrator at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene.
Father Carlos Rosero Patino, who is appointed Administrator at St. Bernard’s Blackfoot and St. Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel in Fort Hall, was born March 26, 1964 in Colombia. He completed his undergraduate studies in Cali, his philosophy at the Pontifical University Bolivariana in Medellin, Colombia, and his theology at the Pontifical University Bolivariana in Cali. He was ordained a priest on Jan. 24, 2009, in the Archdiocese of Cali, Colombia by Bishop Juan Francisco Sarasti Jaramillo.
Father Rosero served parishes in Colombia from 2009-15. In October 2015, he came to the United States to serve as Parochial Vicar at St. Paul’s in Nampa and its stations.
In June 2017, he was appointed Parochial Vicar for St. John Paul II Parish in Idaho Falls and its stations.
In 2019, he was appointed Parochial Vicar at St. Paul’s Parish in Nampa, Melba, Oreana and Silver City.
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