Fr. Michael St. Paul
Pastor
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Fr. Michael St. Paul, native of Southern California, was ordained to the priesthood on June 11, 2005. He studied at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, CA, where he received a Master’s Degree in Divinity and a Master of Arts Degree in Theology. Also, while at St. John’s, Fr. Michael received a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Philosophy. Prior to the seminary and during his business life, Fr. Michael received a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Development and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Human Relations and Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco.
Fr. Michael’s first parish assignment was at St. Joseph Church in Santa Ana as Parochial Vicar, and then to St. Anthony Claret Church in Anaheim in 2009, and has been here at St. Polycarp since July, 2011 as Pastor. Prior to his priestly formation, Fr. Michael worked for the Walt Disney Company in various administration/management positions for over 20 years. In Fr. Michael’s vocation story he states, “I have worked for the ‘Magic Kingdom’ for half of my life and now I work for the Eternal Kingdom for the rest of my life!” |
Fr. Tuan Nguyen
Parochial Vicar
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Father Tuan John Nguyen celebrated his 22nd anniversary as a priest on June 10th, 2017. He is the youngest of the five children – three brothers and one sister. After escaping from Vietnam and spending more than 4 months in a refugee camp in Malaysia, Fr Tuan with his mother and three siblings emigrated to the United States in 1978 with the help of his oldest brother who came to the US right after the Vietnam War in 1975. They settled first in Peoria, Illinois for 4 years, and then Florida for 2 years, before settling down in Southern California. After graduating from North Torrance High School, Fr. Tuan entered St. John’s Seminary College in Camarillo in 1986, studying for the Diocese of Orange. After graduating from St John’s Seminary College in 1991, he continued the seminary formation at St. John’s Seminary to complete his theological studies. He was ordained a transitional deacon at St John’s Seminary College Chapel in March of 1995, and three months later, was ordained a priest by the late Bishop Norman McFarland at St Barbara Church, his home parish, on June 10, 1995.
Prior coming to St. Polycarp, Fr. Nguyen served at Blessed Sacrament in Westminster, St. Bonaventure in Huntington Beach, St. Nicholas in Laguna Woods, La Purisima in Orange, St. Barbara in Santa Ana, St Columban in Garden Grove, and St Hedwig in Los Alamitos. When people ask him why he wanted to become a priest? He tells them, “My life truly belongs to God. My Mom was pregnant with me in her late 40s and had a difficult pregnancy. After she gave birth to me, I suffered from serious health issues. The doctor told her and my Dad that there was little hope that I would make it through. But my Mom refused to give up and she poured out her tears of prayer to God and promised to Him that if He saved me, she would hand my life back to Him. Because of her earnest tears of prayer to God for me, I was saved. So from that day on I feel in my heart that my life belongs to God alone. I can’t be anything else besides being a humble servant to God, serving his people.” |
Fr. Miguel Ángel Cárabez Herrera
Parochial Vicar
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Born in Santa Clara de Valladares, Michoacán Mexico, on August 26, 1973. I was born in a large family of 11 children, of which I am the tenth child. In my parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Santa Clara, I received all the Sacraments: When I was 17, in 1990, I decided to go to the United States. There were already some of my older brothers in Santa Ana, California, with whom I lived for a long time. I went to the parish of "Guadalupe", Santa Ana. Then I joined the parish of Pilar in Santa Ana. At the age of 20 I felt the call to the priesthood, when I had my first experience with the Seminary of the Augustinian Recollects in Oxnard. It lasted only 6 months. Then in 2000 I went to Colombia to the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. Then in 2002 I had an offer to go to the Redemptoris Mater Diocesan seminary in Goma, Africa, and there I finished my Ecclesiastical studies and was ordained on August 9, 2009.
I was parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Goma and then because of illness I had to leave the Congo. I returned to Mexico at the advice of my Doctor and my Bishop to recover. I stayed 5 years in my town, from 2012 to 2017 as parochial vicar in the Parish of Cristo Rey de Uruapan Michoacán. I speak French, Italian, Swahili and I want to improve my English. Now I have returned to California and Bishop Kevin has accepted me here, in his Diocese, in this Parish of Saint Polycarp. I am very happy to return to where my life began in Christ and where my priestly vocation began. Here I will be a parochial vicar and I hope to be always ready to serve you. God bless you. |
Msgr. Stephen Doktorczyk |
In Residence |
Deacon Ramiro Lopez
Deacon Ramiro has been in the parish since 1969. Prior to becoming a deacon he participated in choir, lectured at Mass, was a catechist for the teen confirmation program. He was an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, sacristan, and Knights of Columbus Grand Knight. He was ordained in 2003 to the permanent diaconate. As, an ordained deacon, he assists with Funerals and Quinceañera, officiates weddings, and performs infant baptisms. He is also involved in Bereavement ministry.