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Archives Bishop LaValley announces priest assignments

May 12, 2021

After prayerful consideration and consultation with the Priests’ Personnel Board, Bishop Terry R. LaValley has announced the following appointments, effective June 16 unless otherwise noted:
• Father Deepak Baru, HGN, parochial vicar at the Church of the Holy Family, St. Anthony’s, and St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown, is appointed parochial vicar at the Catholic Community of St. Peter and St. Mary and St. Hedwig in Lowville.

• Father Scott A. Belina, administrator of the Catholic Community of St. Peter and St. Mary and St. Hedwig in Lowville is appointed pastor of those parishes.

• Deacon Matthew Conger upon his priestly ordination, will serve as parochial vicar at Church of the Holy Family, St. Anthony’s, and St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown.

• Msgr. Dennis J. Duprey, administrator of St. Augustine’s in Peru, will retire. Monsignor will remain the Dean of Clinton Deanery and will remain in residence in his retirement.

• Father J. Michael Gaffney, pastor of The Roman Catholic Community of Brownville and Dexter and St. Andrew’s Church in Sackets Harbor will retire.

• Father Joseph W. Giroux completes his Canon Law degree at St. Paul’s University and is appointed pastor of The Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary in Potsdam and St. Patrick’s Church in Colton. Father Joseph Giroux will also serve the Tribunal and Office of Canonical Affairs.

• Father Michael J. Jablonski, parochial vicar at St. André Bessette Roman Catholic Parish in Malone, is appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Dannemora and Church of the Assumption in Redford.

• Father Dominic Duc Nguyen, parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Church in Champlain and St. Patrick’s Church in Rouses Point, completes his time in the Diocese of Ogdensburg and returns to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

• Father Jude Nnadibuagha, parochial vicar at the Catholic Community of St. Peter and St. Mary and St. Hedwig in Lowville is appointed parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg.

• Deacon John Ojuok upon his priestly ordination will serve as parochial vicar at Holy Cross Parish in Plattsburgh.

• Father Herman Pongantung, MSC, parochial vicar at Church of the Holy Family, St. Anthony’s Church and St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown, completes his time in the Diocese of Ogdensburg and will join the Missionary of the Sacred Heart Community in Center Valley, Pennsylvania in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown.

• Father Donald A. Robinson, pastor of St. James Minor Church in Carthage and St. Mary’s Church in Copenhagen is appointed pastor of The Roman Catholic Community of Brownville and Dexter and St. Andrew’s Church in Sackets Harbor.

• Father Stephen Rocker, pastor of The Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary in Potsdam and St. Patrick’s Church in Colton, is appointed administrator of St. Bernard’s and St. Edmund’s Parish in Ellenburg Center.

• Father Scott Seymour, pastor of the Roman Catholic Community of St. Alexander and St. Joseph in Morrisonville and St. James Church in Cadyville is also appointed pastor of St. Augustine’s Church in Peru.

• Deacon Fernando Solomon upon his priestly ordination will serve as parochial vicar at St. André Bessette Roman Catholic Parish in Malone.

• Father Todd E. Thibault, pastor of St. Bernard’s and St. Edmund’s Parish in Ellenburg Center, is appointed pastor of St. James Minor Church in Carthage and St. Mary’s Church in Copenhagen.

• Father Justin Thomas, HGN, parochial vicar at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg, is appointed pastor of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Elizabethtown, St. Philip Neri Church in Westport and The Catholic Community of St. Philip of Jesus and St. Joseph in Willsboro.

• Father Howard J. Venette, pastor of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Elizabethtown, St. Philip Neri Church in Westport and The Catholic Community of St. Philip of Jesus and St. Joseph in Willsboro, awaits notification on his appointment as Chaplain of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. (effective TBA). Father Venette will reside in the rectory in Dannemora.

• Father Eduardo Pesigan, parochial vicar at Holy Cross Parish in Plattsburgh, completes his time in the Diocese of Ogdensburg and returns to the Archdiocese of Caceres in the Philippines. This is effective June 7.

Father Deepak Baru
Father Baru, born in Orisa, located in Northeast India, is a priest with the Heralds of Good News. He was ordained April 29, 2011 and served as a parochial vicar in a number of communities near his hometown. He arrived in the Diocese of Ogdensburg on May 1, 2109, and he has been serving as parochial vicar at Holy Family,

St. Anthony’s, and St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown since that time.

Father Scott A. Belina
Father Belina, 36, has been serving as administrator of the Catholic Community of St. Peter and St. Mary and St. Hedwig since March. Prior to that assignment, he was parochial vicar at St. Peter’s Parish in Massena, St. André Bessette Parish in Malone, and St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg.

Father Belina was raised in Watertown. He was ordained May 25, 2013.

Deacon Matthew Conger
Deacon Matthew Conger is a life-long resident of Ogdensburg. He is now completing his last year of theology at Christ The King Seminary in Buffalo, and he is scheduled to be ordained by Bishop Terry R. LaValley on May 29.

Msgr. Dennis J. Duprey
Msgr. Duprey has served as administrator of St. Augustine’s in Peru since July 8, 2020. Prior to that assignment, he served as pastor and later special parochial vicar at St. Peter’s, St. John the Baptist and Our Lady of Victory churches in Plattsburgh, as well as the St. John XXIII Newman Center; and as pastor at Malone Catholic Parishes, now St. André Bessette Parish.

He has served as assistant pastor in Malone and Ogdensburg and as administrator in Hammond and Rossie.
Msgr. Duprey has served in various diocesan roles, including director of Religious Education, director of Priest Personnel and co-vicar for Religious. He also served as a prison chaplain in Ogdensburg and Malone and became an advocate around criminal justice issues.

Father J. Michael Gaffney
Father Gaffney has been pastor in Brownville, Dexter and Sackets Harbor since 2013. Prior to that assignment, he served as pastor in Massena, Lake Placid and Chaumont. He served as an assistant pastor at St. Alphonsus in Tupper Lake, St. Peter’s in Lowville, Notre Dame in Malone, and St. Anthony’s in Watertown.

Originally from Watertown, Father Gaffney, 73, was ordained May 5, 1973 by Bishop Stanislaus J. Brzana.

Father Joseph W. Giroux
Prior to enrolling at St. Paul’s University, Father Giroux was pastor of Malone Catholic Parishes, now St. André Bessette Parish. He previously served as administrator and later pastor of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Old Forge and St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Inlet and Raquette Lake. Before becoming a pastor, he served as parochial vicar at Notre Dame Church, Malone; St. Bernard's, Saranac Lake; St. Peter’s, Lowville; Sacred Heart, Massena; and St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg. While in Ogdensburg, he also served as part-time chaplain at the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility.

Originally from Plattsburgh, Father Giroux, 46, was ordained Aug. 12, 2000.

Father Michael J. Jablonski
Father Jablonski has been serving as parochial vicar at St. André Bessette Parish in Malone since September of 2018. Prior to that assignment, he served as parochial vicar at St. Peter’s Parish in Massena.
Originally from Johnsville, New York in Monroe County, Father Jablonski, 40, was ordained May 27, 2017 by Bishop LaValley.

Father Dominic Duc Nguyen
Father Nguyen, 52, a priest from the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph served for a year as parochial vicar of St. Patrick’s in Rouses Point and St. Mary’s in Champlain.

Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he immigrated to the United States in 1983 and was ordained May 30, 2009 in the Diocese of Kansans City-Saint Joseph.

Father Jude Nnadibuagha
Father Nnadibuagha, 37, was born in Imo State, Nigeria. He was ordained Aug. 1, 2020 by Bishop LaValley. Since his ordination, he has served as parochial vicar in Lowville, Glenfield and Houseville. He also served that community as a deacon after being ordained to that role in October of 2019.

Deacon John Ojuok
Deacon Ojuok has been in the diocese since 2016. He has spent time in St. Bartholomew’s in Old Forge and St. Alexander’s in Morrisonville. His home base is St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg. He is now completing his last year of theology at Christ The King Seminary in Buffalo and is scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood on May 29.

Father Herman Pongantung, MSC
Father Pongantung arrived in the United States from Indonesia in October 2018, when he began serving in Watertown.

He professed first vows on Jan. 9, 1986 and was ordained on Jan. 9, 1993.

Father Donald A. Robinson
Father Robinson has served in Carthage and Copenhagen since 2015. Previously, he was pastor at St. Anthony’s and St. Patrick’s in Watertown, and St. Mary’s in Champlain.

Father Robinson served as an associate pastor at St. Peter’s in Lowville, Notre Dame in Malone and St. Anthony’s in Watertown. He was also a teacher at Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertown, a member of the Wadhams Hall Seminary faculty and later vice-president of the seminary college, diocesan director of seminarians and vocations director.

Father Robinson, 70, was ordained May 3, 1980.

Father Stephen T. Rocker
Father Rocker has served in Potsdam and Colton since 2016. He previously served as a pastor in Gouverneur and Edwards, and in Hogansburg, Bombay and Fort Covington.

He served as an administrator in Newcomb and Long Lake for a short time in 2003. He also served in that role in Hammond and Rossie. He served as assistant pastor in Watertown and Clayton. Father Rocker also served as a missionary with the Ogdensburg Peruvian Apostolate.

Father Rocker also served as the chair of the Philosophy Department at Wadhams Hall Seminary College. He has also served as a prison chaplain in Ogdesnburg.

Father Rocker, 67, was ordained Sept. 1, 1979 at his home parish of St. Martin’s in Port Leyden.

Father Scott R. Seymour
Father Seymour has served as pastor in Morrisonville and Treadwells Mill since 2010 and took on additional responsibilities as pastor in Cadyville in 2017. He has previously served as pastor in Willsboro and Essex and as parochial vicar in Ogdensburg and Malone.

Originally from West Chazy, Father Seymour, 50, was ordained May 29, 1999. An accomplished musician, Father Seymour has directed choirs for major diocese events including the INSPIRE vocation summit held in Lake Placid in September.

Deacon Fernando Solomon
Deacon Fernando Solomon was recently incardinated into the Diocese of Ogdensburg after completing a pastoral year at the Catholic Communities of Crown Point, Moriah and Port Henry.

Deacon Solomon earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and master’s degree in divinity in the Philippines. For a period of time, he worked in ministry to the deaf and in prison ministry. He is fluent in several languages including English, Tagalog, Spanish and American Sign Language.

He is scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood on May 29.

Father Todd E. Thibault
Father Thibault has been pastor in Ellenburg Center and Lyon Mountain since 2019, and he served as administrator of the community starting in 2017.

Prior to those assignments, he served as parochial vicar at St. Mary’s in Canton.
Father Thibault was ordained Oct. 8, 2016.

Father Justin Thomas, HGN
Father Thomas has been serving at the Cathedral Parish since 2015. Prior to that time, he served as parochial vicar at St. André Bessette Parish in Malone. He came to the United States in 2014.

Father Howard J. Venette
Father Venette has served in his current assignment since 2020. Previously, he served as pastor in Schroon Lake and Ticonderoga, Old Forge, Raquette Lake and Inlet, Potsdam and Colton, and Harrisville; as administrator in Waddington, Constable, Westville and Trout River, and in Brushton; and as parochial vicar in Massena, Potsdam, Plattsburgh and Malone.

He previously served as the associate director and later director of deacon formation.
Father Venette, 63, was ordained July 21, 1984.

Father Eduardo C. Pesigan III
Father Pesigan has been serving in the Diocese of Ogdensburg since 2016. Born in Naga City, Philippines, he is a diocesan priest with the Archdiocese of Caceres. He has served in Plattsburgh since arriving in the United States.

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