Savannah Bishop J. Kevin Boland ordained four men to the priesthood at a centuries-old ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah.

Matthew Ericksen, Luis Fonseca, Pablo Migone and J. Scott Winchel brought to 32 the number of men whom Bishop Boland has ordained as priests during his 14 years as bishop.
Reflective of the changing face of South Georgia, three of the four men ordained—Ericksen, Fonseca and Migone—are fluent in Spanish.

Bishop Boland assigned Father Ericksen to become the parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish in Augusta; Father Fonseca to become the parochial vicar of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Valdosta; Father Migone to become the parochial vicar of Sacared Heart Church in Warner Robins; and Father Winchel to become the parochial vicar of St. Anne Parish in Columbus.

Here is background information on the four newly ordained priests:

Matthew Ericksen
Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD
Home parish: Immaculate Conception, Moultrie, GA

Matthew was born in Mobile, Alabama, but grew up in Moultrie, Georgia. He attended St. Bernard’s Prep in Cullman, Alabama for his high school education, where he played soccer and ran cross country. He has recently spent six months studying Spanish in Mexico, and is quite fluent in that language. Matthew graduated from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, where he double-majored in philosophy and politics. He traveled to the Czech Republic where he worked with refugee children from Armenia and Chechnya in the former Soviet Union. He also worked with the St. Vincent DePaul society in Atlanta for one year, and came to work at St. Peter Claver in Macon for six months while discerning the call to priesthood. He entered Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in the Fall of 2003, where he is studying Fourth Theology.
Matthew was ordained a transitional deacon at Sacred Heart Church in Warner Robins on Saturday, May 24th, 2008.


Luis Fonseca
St. Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, PA
Home parish: Our Lady of Lourdes, Columbus, GA
Luis is originally from Colombia. He arrived in the United States in January of 2003, where he began studies in English at Auburn University. Luis is a very bright student and loves to study. He studied at the Salesian seminary in Bogota from 1995-1996. After leaving the Salesians, he continued to study philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas. Luis has a master’s degree in philosophy, and has taught extensively. His interests are intellectual, and he is drawn to teaching. He is in fourth theology at St. Vincent’s Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Luis was ordained a transitional deacon at Sacred Heart Church in Warner Robins on Saturday, May 24th, 2008.

Pablo Migone

Pontifical North American College, Rome
Home Parish: Saint Mary's on the Hill Church, Augusta, GA

Pablo was born in Lima, Peru and moved to Augusta, GA when he was nine years old. He attended Aquinas High School where he played piano for the school Masses and served in several leadership positions. After graduating in 2000 he went to Furman University in Greenville, SC to study history. After two years he transferred to Franciscan University of Steubenville where he finished studying philosophy and history. Pablo continuing his theology studies at the Pontifical North American College, Rome.
Pablo was ordained a transitional deacon at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy on October 9th, 2008.

J. Scott Winchel

Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD
Home parish: St. Joseph's, Augusta

Scott grew up in Peculiar, Missouri, and neither of his parents was of the Catholic faith. Growing up, Scott was an all-star baseball player. He entered the Marine Corps out of high school and served for six years. His training was in aircraft maintenance, and he spent his military career working on helicopters. Upon leaving the Marine Corps, he traveled around working with different aircraft companies. Because of the influence of some Catholic friends, he enrolled in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and entered the Church on All Saints Day in 1997. Scott is studying Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Scott was ordained a transitional deacon at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Friday, December 26, 2008, the Feast of St. Stephen.