Six Black Catholics Set for Ordination in 2026, Highest Number in Several Years
Six U.S.-born Black Catholics are scheduled for ordination to the diaconate and priesthood in 2026, the highest number in several years. The men come from New Jersey, Texas, North Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana, and New York, and include a former attorney, a former football coach, and a convert from Baptist traditions.
Six U.S.-born Black Catholics are scheduled for ordination to the diaconate and priesthood in 2026, the highest number in several years, according to the Black Catholic Messenger.
The men hail from across the country, including New Jersey, Texas, North Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana, and New York.
James Johnson IV, a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte, was ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop Michael T. Martin on May 23 at St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville, North Carolina. He has served as president of the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association since 2023.
Ryan Agbim, a New Jersey native, was ordained a priest for the Divine Word Missionaries on May 23 in Wheeling, Illinois. A graduate of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, he played college football before entering religious life.
Duwan Booker, a convert to Catholicism from Baptist traditions, was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor for the Diocese of Little Rock on May 30. He became the second Black priest in the history of the Diocese of Little Rock and the second in the entire state of Arkansas.
Jessiah Rojas, a native of Southern Maryland and former football coach, will be ordained for the Archdiocese of Washington on June 20. He entered seminary formation in 2020 after converting to Catholicism during undergraduate studies.
Aeli Poydras, a former attorney and civil servant, will be ordained a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Baton Rouge on June 20. He began seminary in 2022 at age fifty.
Ernest F. Hart, a lawyer and former court justice who served as diocesan general counsel in Connecticut, will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Bridgeport on November 21.
According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 5 percent of surveyed ordinands in U.S. priesthood ordinations this year are Black Catholics, including diaspora and African-born. American-born Black Catholics represent less than 1 percent of the 428 total ordinations. About 30 American-born Black Catholics are currently in priestly formation.
