Rev. David Allen (’10) Ordained as College’s 78th Alumnus Priest!

Last Saturday afternoon Rev. David Allen (’10) received the Sacrament of Holy Orders at the hands of the Most Rev. Daniel F. Garcia, Bishop of Monterey, at Madonna del Sasso Parish in Salinas, California. Thanks be to God, Fr. Allen is Thomas Aquinas College’s 78th alumnus priest — and the fourth ordained this summer!

“These last 15 months for us here the United States and also throughout the world seem to be filled with such darkness and gloom,” Bishop Garcia told Fr. Allen and his fellow ordinandi at the Ordination Mass (see video, below). “You, my brothers, are called to be disciples of joy and hope, especially to the poor and those who live on the peripheries of our society and community. You, my brothers, can be these disciples of joy and hope by the way you preside, by the way you preach, but most important, by the way you live your life.”

Among the alumni in attendance for the glorious occasion was Rev. Michael Masteller (’13), who was also ordained to the priesthood just two weeks earlier for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. “It is incredibly encouraging for me to know that as I enter this vocation, I am supported and inspired by my brother priests who have also given themselves to Christ and to his Church,” says Fr. Masteller, who was classmates with Fr. Allen at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California. “Fr. David is a good friend, a true brother, and his ordination is a source of great joy and hope for me as well as for the entire church.”

For his first assignment, Fr. Allen will serve as a parochial vicar at St. Patrick Church in Arroyo Grande. Please pray for the well-being and ministry of these young priests!