Florida Catholic | Six New Priests For Miami

Six new priests for Miami

Six men will be ordained to the priesthood Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m., at St. Mary Cathedral.

Published: 05.02.08

Six priests who will be ordained for the Archdiocese of Miami.

ANA RODRIGUEZ–SOTO | FC
From left, top row: Cesar Peña, Lazarus Govin and David Zirilli; bottom row: Craig Malzacher, Richard Vigoa and Alejandro Rodriguez.

“This is one of the most talented classes that we have ordained for the archdiocese in a very long time,” said Father Manny Alvarez, archdiocesan director of vocations. “The majority of them were born and raised in the state of Florida and have intimate knowledge of our local church. I have no doubt that these men will serve the church of Miami well for many years to come.”

Lazarus Govin

Deacon Govin, 39, was born in Havana, Cuba, Nov. 20, 1968, to Melanio Govin and Lourdes Garcia. He has a younger sister. He left Cuba in 1993 to live in the Dominican Republic, and settled in Miami in 1994. He graduated from Miami Dade College with an associate in arts degree in 1998 and entered St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2000.

He has been trained and certified in spiritual direction at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., where he received a master’s degree in Christian spirituality. He finished his studies at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, obtaining master’s degrees in divinity and theology.

His pastoral assignments include Little Flower Parish in Coral Gables and St. Mary Cathedral and Corpus Christi in Miami. After ordination, he will serve at St. Andrew Parish in Coral Springs.

Craig Steven Malzacher

Deacon Malzacher, 30, was born Feb. 8, 1978, in Miami Beach to Dennis and Maryrose Malzacher. He was raised in Key Largo with his nine brothers and sisters. He graduated from Coral Shores High School in Tavernier in 1996 and worked as a meat cutter for Winn-Dixie for three years after high school.

In 2003, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami, then entered St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. In the summer of 2004, he studied diocesan priestly spirituality at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

His missionary educational experiences include work in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Uganda. His pastoral assignments include work at Abbey Delray Extended Medical Care Facility; the Boynton Beach Police Department; Palm Beach County Jail; Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.; and St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Key West.

After ordination, he will serve at St. John Neumann Parish in Kendall.

Cesar Edwin Peña Perez

Deacon Peña, 34, was born March 4, 1974, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Luis Eduardo Peña Gómez and Myriam Pérez Barbosa. He is the oldest of four children. One sister, Giovanna, lives in Paris; his other brother and sister, Andres and Adriana, and Adriana’s 6-year-old daughter, live in Bogotá.

Deacon Peña graduated from Gran Colombia University in 2001 with a degree in architecture. He also attended the Pontifical Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá in 1999, where he began his studies in philosophy. In 2001, he entered St John Vianney College Seminary, where he completed the pretheology program before entering St. Vincent the Paul Regional Seminary.

After ordination, he will serve at St. Mark Parish in Southwest Ranches.

Alejandro Jorge Rodriguez Artola

Deacon Rodríguez, 44, was born June 10, 1963, in Miami to Cándido G. Rodríguez and Mercy Artola Rodríguez. He is the youngest of four – two sisters and one brother – and the only member of his family not born in Cuba. He is the uncle of nine nieces and nephews and great-uncle of one. He attended St. Thomas the Apostle School and is a 1981 graduate of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.

Deacon Rodriguez’s first career was as a classical ballet dancer. He studied locally at Ballet Concerto and Ballet Vivian Tobio, then at the Boston School of Ballet and the School of American Ballet, which is the school of the New York City Ballet founded by George Balanchine. He danced professionally in Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and the U.S., where he danced with the Miami City Ballet.

He then worked in the fine art retail industry in New York and Florida, starting his own interior design company in 1995. From 1991 through 1999, he ministered through his gifts of movement and dance, and had the opportunity to do so in Brazil, the Philippines, Israel and throughout the U.S.

He entered St. John Vianney College Seminary in 1999, earning his bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2003 and continuing his studies at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary. His home parish is St. Louis in Pinecrest.

Deacon Rodriguez’s pastoral assignments include St. Louis’ young adult ministry and the liturgical dance group Disciples in Motion; confirmation preparation at both Good Shepherd and St. Catherine of Siena parishes; Genesis House for people with HIV/AIDS in Miami; teaching English as a second language to disadvantaged women at the Women’s Circle in West Palm Beach; an after-school program at Holy Cross Daycare and Center in Palm Beach; and as member of the spiritual care team at the Hanley Center for Addiction Rehabilitation in West Palm Beach.

He spent his pastoral year at Corpus Christi Parish in Miami and his diaconate year at St. Monica in Miami Gardens and St. Bartholomew in Miramar. After ordination, he will serve at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Kendall.

Richard Jesús Vigoa

Deacon Vigoa, 38, was born Feb. 7, 1970, in Miami Beach. His parents are Luisa Noemi Vigoa and the late Jay Vigoa. He is the oldest of three children and both his sisters, Elizabeth and Maggie, are married and live in Miami. He graduated from Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven, attended St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens and enjoyed a successful career with an investment banking firm on Brickell Avenue before entering St. John Vianney College Seminary. His home parish is Our Lady of Lourdes in Kendall.

His pastoral assignments include Good Shepherd Parish in Kendall, Corpus Christi School in Miami, Archbishop Carroll High School in Kendall, St. Juliana Parish in West Palm Beach, Nazareth House in Boca Raton, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Long Island, N.Y., and the Hanley Center for Addiction Rehabilitation in West Palm Beach.

He spent his pastoral year at Immaculate Conception Parish in Hialeah and his diaconate year at St. Joseph Parish, Miami Beach. After ordination, he will serve at St. Michael Parish in Miami.

David Zirilli

Deacon Zirilli, 36, is a native of Melbourne, born April 26, 1971, the eldest of two sons. His parents, Tony and Susan, are both certified public accountants practicing in south Florida. His brother, Danny, is a civil engineer who lives in Houston with his wife and daughter.

Deacon Zirilli is a 1993 graduate of the University of Florida, where he earned a degree in accounting. He later obtained a master’s degree in accounting from the University of North Florida. Like his parents, he began a career as a certified public accountant, opening his own practice in the Key Largo area.

During this time, he was active in several ministries at San Pedro and St. Justin Martyr parishes in the upper Keys. After eight years of public practice, he sold his firm and entered St. John Vianney College Seminary, where he completed the pretheology program before entering St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.

His pastoral assignments include work at Green Briar assisted-living facility in Miami, Holy Cross Daycare and Center, and the Hanley Center in Palm Beach. He spent a summer at Good Shepherd Parish in Miami, his pastoral year at St. Joseph Parish in Miami Beach and his diaconate year at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Plantation.

After ordination, he will serve at St. Louis Parish in Kendall.

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