New priest ordained in Haskell

HASKELL  Bishop Serratelli ordained Father Manuel Alejandro Cuellar of Colombia to the priesthood Nov. 15 during the Rite of Ordin­ation in St. Francis of Assisi Church here — the start of what the new priest considers his priestly ministry “to be there for God and his people.” That evening at the Mass, the Bishop challenged Father Cuellar to carry out his priestly ministry “with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns, but to those of Jesus Christ.”

Bishop Serratelli was the principal celebrant and homilist of the 7:30 p.m. Mass at St. Francis, located in the Haskell section of Wanaque. Num­erous priests from the Diocese and beyond concelebrated the liturgy, steeped in the traditions of the early Church [see related story on page 9].

Filling St. Francis to capacity were Father Cuellar’s loved ones — some traveling long distances — friends, members of faith communities where he served, and parishioners from around the Diocese, who gathered to show their support and pray for the newly-ordained priest.

“I’m nervous. This is a great time for me and a great celebration but it’s also a great responsibility to God and to the faithful,” said Father Cuellar, 26, who had been serving St. Francis as a transitional deacon since February.

Born on Aug. 23, 1993 in Guadalupe, Huila, Colombia to Laureano Cuellar Gonzalez and Maria Consuelo Ceballos, Father Cuellar attended high school at Colegio Maria Auxiliadora there. He said he attended Mass regularly with his family and was an altar server at his parish. At age 13, he first heard God’s call to priesthood through a seminarian there, who “invited me to serve Jesus as a lay person in the parish or as a priest,” he said.

Father Cuellar attended minor seminary at Seminario Cristo Sacerdote in Yarumal, Antioquia, Colombia to finish his last two years of high school and studied philosophy. He also earned a degree to teach philosophy from Catolica del Norte University of Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia. In his native country, he taught catechism to candidates for first Holy Communion.

“In seminary, I had an experience of the priesthood. I went to daily Mass and prayed the prayers in the breviary. My formators and professors helped me understand the meaning of the priesthood,” Father Cuellar said.

After arriving in the United States, he studied English as a Second Language (ESL) at Rutgers University in Newark and earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a Master of Divinity degree from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn. He previously served as a transitional deacon at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Clifton. He served under the leadership of and learned much from Father Richard Kilcomons, then pastor, who was named pastor of St. Therese Parish in Succasunna in April.

“Father Rick is so kind to his people; people like him. He is always praying. His spiritual life is amazing,” Father Cuellar said.

Father Kilcomons said he was impressed that Father Cuellar was so determined to become a good priest that he studied diligently to learn English just after he arrived in the U.S. — both with ESL classes and study on his own. There, he assisted in preparing and serving at Mass, giving homilies and leading Benediction.

“He got along well with St. Andrew’s parishioners; they loved him. He also is a very spiritual person,” Father Kilcomons said.

At St. Francis since February, Father Cuellar also learned much from Father Greg Golba, pastor, and called him “a hard worker. He is always caring for his people and trying to increase their faith. He paints and waters the flowers. He is a great example of a priest.”

Father Golba said that Father Cuellar “will be a good priest, because he was a good transitional deacon.

“He is a good counselor. He is a good listener and gives good advice,” Father Golba said of the new priest. “The people liked him and will miss him,” he said.

This year, Father Cuellar joins eight other men Bishop Serratelli ordained to the priesthood on May 11 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. They are: Father John Rocco Calabro Jr., Father Andrew Dutko, Father Kerwin Timothy M. Gaza, Father Charles Henry Lana Jr., Father Dailon Lisabet, Father William Alexandre (Alex) Sylvain Nevitt IV, Father Artur Prażak and Father John Brandi.

Toward the end of the Nov. 15 ordination Mass for Father Cuellar, Bishop Serratelli led the congregation in reciting the diocesan Prayer for Vocations, of which he is the author. He thanked God and everyone who attended the ordination Mass and all those people who over the years helped to shape the life and vocation of the new priest, including their families, brother priests and seminaries that he attended.

On the next day, Nov. 16, Father Cuellar celebrated his first Mass as a priest at 5:30 p.m. at St. Francis.

With hope and optimism, Father Cuellar told The Beacon, “I have learned that it will not be easy to be a priest but with God at your side, everything is possible to be a true witness of God.”