Rev. James D. Conley, D.D., S.T.L. | Diocese of Lincoln website

Bishop James Conley will ordain five new priests for the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln on Saturday, May 25. The ordination Mass for Deacons Jonah Brox, Santiago Izquierdo, Augustine Reimers, Mitchell Schleis, and Ranil Weerackoon will be held at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln at 11 a.m.

On Friday, May 24, at 7 p.m., Bishop Conley will also ordain David Tines and Isaac Wahlmeier as deacons at the same cathedral. A holy hour for the ordinandi is scheduled for Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center in Lincoln.

Deacon Jonah Brox is from Lincoln and attended local schools before entering the seminary in August 2017. He studied at St. Gregory the Great Seminary and later at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. "I was blessed and so grateful that the Catholic faith has always been at the center of my family and home life," Brox said. His path to priesthood was influenced by his experiences at Leadership Camp and Eucharistic Adoration.

Deacon Santiago Izquierdo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and moved to Lincoln with his family in 2002. He attended local schools and began discerning his vocation during his time as an altar server and through visits to his brother's seminary. After two years studying chemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), he entered seminary in 2016.

Deacon Augustine Reimers grew up in Seward and attended Aquinas Catholic High School. His sense of vocation began early due to his family's influence but rekindled during high school. "My parents made sure that my siblings and I knew that faith was the most important part of our lives," Reimers said.

Deacon Mitchell Schleis first considered priesthood in second grade but seriously discerned it after high school while attending Briar Cliff University. Despite initial resistance, he entered seminary in fall 2018 after teaching sixth grade.

Deacon Ranil Weerackoon grew up in Cypress, California, before moving to Lincoln for graduate studies at UNL. His faith deepened through daily Mass and holy hours during this time, leading him to enter St. Gregory the Great Seminary in 2018.

All five deacons will celebrate their first Masses of thanksgiving on Sunday, May 26:

- Jonah Brox at St. Teresa Church

- Santiago Izquierdo at St. Peter Church

- Augustine Reimers at St. Vincent de Paul Church

- Mitchell Schleis at Sacred Heart Church

- Ranil Weerackoon at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center