Issue Date: June 28, 2007

Bishop Clark to ordain Jeff Tunnicliff,

Hoan Dinh as diocesan priests Saturday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Bishop Matthew Clark will ordain Jeff Tunnicliff and Hoan Dinh as priests of the Diocese of Rochester at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 30, 2007. The ordinations will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 296 Flower City Park, in Rochester..

HOAN DINH, the Diocese’s first Vietnamese-born priest, is 33. He was raised in a family of five girls and three boys in Vietnam, where his family grew rice and tropical fruits. A former teacher, youth coordinator and interpreter, Dinh arrived in California from Vietnam in 1992. He became a resident of the Rochester diocese’s house of discernment, Becket Hall, in 2001. Dinh holds a bachelor’s degree in Humanity and Philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, a master’s degree in Religious Education from the Catholic University of America and, from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, a master’s degree/Advanced Studies and a licentiate in Sacred Theology.

Dinh says he has a “passion for serving people,” and is looking forward to his first assignment as Father Hoan at St. Rita’s Church in Webster. “I often reflect on how each individual respond’s to God’s call,” he says. “For me, it has been a winding road. God’s message to us is not always clear, but I have relied on deep listening to him and the help of many people I have met along the way.”

JEFF TUNNICLIFF, a former State Transportation Department engineering technician who worked on road and bridge projects, is 37 years old. He holds a master’s of divinity (seminary) degree from the Catholic University of America Theological College, a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. John Fisher College and a bachelor of science degree in Ceramic Engineering from the NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University.

Tunnicliff’s home parish is St. Mary’s of the Lake, Watkins Glen, part of the Schuyler Catholic Community.  Tunnicliff’s first assignment as a priest will be at St. Mary’s Church in Elmira.

“As a priest,” Tunnicliff says, “I hope to help people discover and/or grow in their awareness of God’s presence in their lives through the celebration of the sacraments and the proclamation of God’s Word.” He adds that learning more about his Catholic faith “has shown me the true meaning and value of faith in my life.  I feel called by God to help bring that same awareness to the parishioners I serve.”

The 12-county Diocese currently has 150 active priests, including externs and religious-order priests, serving in 139 churches.  For more information about a vocation to the Roman Catholic priesthood, visit www.dor.org/vocations or contact Carol Dady at 585-328-3228, ext. 1374 or by email to cdady@dor.org          

##