Meet the Archdiocese of Newark’s 4 new priests-to-be
From South Korea and Turks and Caicos to Newark, Fort Lee, and Belleville, the four men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Newark may have traveled diverse paths to the priesthood, but they all share the same calling.
On May 27, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will ordain the men in the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. They include Robert Burkot a Newark native, Frenel A. Phanord of the Turks and Caicos Islands, JuHyun Andrew Lee of South Korea and Fort Lee, and Bernardo Garcia from California and Belleville.
This year, the Archdiocese of Newark has a diverse group of ordinands, ranging in age from 27 to 59 and hailing from various hometowns, parishes, and backgrounds. Some entered the seminary right after high school, while others pursued university degrees in culinary arts, business, and law. One of the ordinands has impressive soccer skills and even trained with the national soccer team of the Turks and Caicos Islands, while another is a skilled forklift operator and can drive a big rig. Additionally, another ordinando is almost 60, and another has lived in four countries.
Some said they were called by the example of their parish priests. Some were moved by the catechism of the Neocatechumenal Way, and others who attended World Youth Day felt the calling there.
All ordinands expressed that they have responded to the call out of their deep love for God and their desire to serve others. The sacrament of penance and the divine mercy of God in aiding those who are facing challenges, as well as the Eucharist, were cited as the primary motivations for entering the Catholic priesthood.
To learn more about the call to the priesthood, visit the Office of Priestly Vocations of the Archdiocese of Newark.
Deacon Robert Burkot, 59
Robert Burkot, a twin, was born in Newark. His mother had planned to give up her son and daughter through the Archdiocese of Newark, but she opted to raise the children herself as there was no assurance the twins would be kept together.
Deacon Burkot was a member of five parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark, a “parent” to his twin sister’s children, and a worker in the culinary business for 35 years before he received his calling through a series of religious dreams, he said.
“Life’s dream of getting married, buying a house, and having children is usually a common dream, but be careful what you wish for,” Deacon Burkot said. “God does grant you your desires but not always as man thinks — and sometimes backwards! I got children first, through my twin sister, I got a house to raise them in, and only now am I getting married — to the Church that is! Amen.”
He is currently a transitional deacon under the supervision of Msgr. Ronald Rozniak at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ridgewood.
What is your home parish in the Archdiocese?
If you are looking for an easy answer- life isn’t that simple. I made my Communion and confirmation at St. Joseph of the Palisades in West New York. During my high school years and young adult years, I was a parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima in North Bergen, where I later took charge of the religious education program. I lived in Hasbrouck Heights and went to Corpus Christi, owned a house in Park Ridge and attended Our Lady of Mercy, and then attended Holy Trinity in Hackensack. Before entering the seminary, I was at Immaculate Conception in Secaucus.
What inspired you to become a priest?
Besides being raised by a very Catholic, strong in faith, single mother, it was when a visiting priest came to our parish. It was his first time in America, and he had to visit the homebound. I said, “You don’t even have a car, let alone know where these addresses are.” This was before smartphones and GPS and I I said, “I’ll take you there.” We were stuck in traffic. A few cars ahead of us, two cars had an accident. Before I knew it, the priest grabbed his stole and bag, jumped out of the car like Superman, and ran over to the injured to anoint them! I was like, “Wow”!
Despite these challenging times, why do you still want to be a priest?
Because the Lord still calls men for the sake of others. I know I was called through Mary’s intercession. She is our queen mother. Jesus was, is, and will be the King of kings, and the King will never refuse the queen.
From Isaiah 41, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Trust in the Lord.
What was the moment(s)/event(s) that confirmed your decision to enter the seminary?
I had a dream one night about Mary, Mother of God. I never had religious dreams before. In the dream, seen as clear as daylight, Mary is next to me, and we are standing before the huge Newark Cathedral with metal doors. Mary uses the knocker to knock upon them. The door opens, and as it is opening, Mary pushes me inside into the arms of Jesus, who embraces me. Jesus is the gate/doorkeeper as well as the shepherd/pastor. I was still on the Parish Council for Newark Archdiocese catechists, and my mentor there was Gene Tozzi, who was the first person I called the next day after the dream. After telling him, he said, “Well Bob, you know what that means!” Then, month after month, I continued to have different religious dreams.
Deacon Bernardo Garcia, 29
Deacon Bernardo Garcia is originally from Santa Ana, Calif. and later moved to Belleville. He graduated from Segerstrom Fundamental High School in Santa Ana and was in his fourth semester at Santa Ana Community College when he entered the seminary.
His father owns a profitable recycling business in California, and Deacon Garcia worked with him since he was a kid. He had planned to take over the company before entering the seminary.
“I will humbly say that I was an expert on the forklift and good with the big rigs. I was in my second year in college studying business, in a relationship, and planning to take over the business and get married when God intervened in my life and I felt the calling to the priesthood,” Deacon Garcia said.
He entered the seminary nine years ago, and he was not sure it would work out, he said.
“I did not think it would work out, as I thought you had to be holy and unblemished to become a priest and I was far from it, yet I felt I should be open to the possibility of such a vocation and let God tell me if it was not for me,” he said.
Over the next nine years, God showed Deacon Garcia what he calls the “beauty and adventure” of the vocation to the priesthood.
He is currently serving as a transitional deacon in the parishes of St. Benedict and St. Aloysius in Newark.
Home parish in the Archdiocese?
My home parish is St. Peter’s in Belleville, but I am originally from Santa Ana, Calif.
What inspired you to become a priest?
What inspired me to become a priest was several things. The first was World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013, where I heard several talks and invitations to consider the vocation. While this did not make me want to become a priest yet, it sure put the question in my head. Yet it was upon coming to Newark to spend time on retreat that the calling really awakened. I arrived on Holy Monday 2014, and at the Chrism Mass in the Cathedral Basilica I saw an endless procession of priests, many of whom seemed very joyful and with a different countenance than you normally see on the street. I also saw a priest of the Archdiocese originally from my hometown and I remembered him from his first Mass at my parish. This moved me.
Despite these challenging times, why do you still want to be a priest?
Despite these challenging times, I still want to be a priest out of gratitude for how good God has been with me and how he has rebuilt my life. He made me a new man by means of the seminary and the Church. How else can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me? By His grace, I will lift up the cup of salvation.
What was the moment(s)/event(s) that confirmed your decision to enter the seminary?
At the Chrism Mass in 2014 during communion, I reflected how I had done what I wanted, and I had been empty. Maybe I should be open to what God might want of me and perhaps experience fulfillment and joy. I did not think it would work out, but over these nine years, I have been increasingly assured that this is the plan that God has made for me from my mother’s womb –that I may serve and experience happiness.
Deacon JuHyun Andrew Lee, 27
Deacon JuHyun Andrew Lee was born in South Korea and moved to Fort Lee, where he was a parishioner of the Church of the Madonna.
He entered college seminary right after high school. As a college seminarian at St. Andrew’s Hall, he studied philosophy and continued his study of theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary.
Deacon Lee has lived in four countries: South Korea, the Philippines, China, and the United States.
“The experience of living in different countries allowed me to see the different images of the universal Church,” Deacon Lee said.
He is currently a transitional deacon under Father Richard Pfannenstiel and Father Eugenio (Gino) de la Rama at Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange.
Home parish in the Archdiocese?
Church of the Madonna in Fort Lee (originally from South Korea).
What inspired you to become a priest?
There was a time when my family struggled financially. Going through challenging moments like that prompted in me a desire to be with those people who may be struggling. Also, hearing confession and letting people know that we have a merciful Father in Heaven always present in our lives was one of the reasons why I wanted to become a priest.
Despite these challenging times, why do you still want to be a priest?
Firefighters run into the burning buildings, mothers willingly embrace birth pangs, and soldiers put themselves in the trench despite fear. So, priests, too, embrace whatever challenges are waiting ahead of them. I don’t think there was an easy time to be a priest. Regardless of the paths we are called to, we are supposed to endure and embrace challenges. So why not as a priest? I think it is a good time to be a priest because we are in challenging times.
What was the moment(s)/event(s) that confirmed your decision to enter the seminary?
When I found myself in joy whenever sharing with other people the mercy and goodness of God.
Deacon Frenel A. Phanord, 31
Born in Haiti, Deacon Frenel A. Phanord moved to Turks and Caicos, where the Archdiocese has assumed responsibility of the Roman Catholic Missio Sui Iuris there.
He is currently with the Neocatechumenal Way community at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood.
Deacon Phanord completed his high school education in the Turks and Caicos Islands. He pursued philosophical studies at the Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores Catholic Theological Institute of Oceania in Guam and later completed his graduate studies at Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception Seminary, earning a master’s degree in divinity.
Deacon Phanord says that he sees the need for priests because, without them, we as Catholics cannot experience the sacraments.
He is a passionate soccer enthusiast who not only loves the sport but actively participated in it. He played for the AFC Academy team in the soccer league of Providenciales, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and has trained with the national soccer team of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
He currently serves as a transitional deacon under Father Ivan Sciberras at St. Peter’s Church in Belleville.
Home parish in the Archdiocese?
My parish is Our Lady of Divine Providence in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. I currently walk with the fourth community of the Neocatechumenal Way of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood.
What inspired you to become a priest?
What inspired me to discern the priesthood has been my catechists from the Neocatechumenal Way along with attending the World Youth Day pilgrimages that the Pope convokes every few years. It was at these events that my catechists instilled in me a desire to know the vocation God was calling me to. Furthermore, after entering the seminary, I had the privilege to witness some of the priests that I know helping people in different situations in life. I saw the gratitude that they had towards the priest and God. This has inspired me to be like them helping others to heal from their wounds by bringing Christ to them.
Despite these challenging times, why do you still want to be a priest?
Despite the challenging times, I still want to be a priest because I discovered that being with the Lord is the best experience one can have. Although there have been moments of struggle, and of doubts, over these years God has been confirming the vocation to the priesthood little by little. I see that this is the vocation that the Lord is calling me to and I am very much at peace with it. I also see the need for priests because without them, we are unable to have the sacraments, and also through the priest, those who are in need can receive the healing of God.
What was the moment(s)/event(s) that confirmed your decision to enter the seminary?
As a teenager I had tough questions about life: What am I living for? What is my purpose in life? What is the meaning of life? And the Lord has been answering these questions little by little over the years as I was growing up by the grace of being in the Church. What I discovered in the Church is the love of God for me and that I am called to be a child of God. At a certain point in my teenage years, I felt like something was missing in my life and I believed that I would probably find it in the seminary, although at the time I had no idea what a seminary was like. All I knew was that priests were formed there. With the desire to know my vocation, I tried the seminary out thinking that I would only be there for a year or two. And now it has been many years, and I am about to be ordained a priest.
Featued image: Frenel Phanord, JuHyun Andrew Lee, Bernardo Garcia, and Robert Burkot are shown last year at the Ordination of Deacons. They will be ordained priests on May 27.
