Seminarian to be ordained a deacon

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Kenneth Parsad will be ordained a deacon on Nov. 22 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

SALT LAKE CITY — On Nov. 22, Kenneth Parsad, a seminarian for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, will take a final formal step toward priesthood and be ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop Oscar A. Solis at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. He will celebrate the day for another reason, as well: It will be his 32nd birthday.

While his mother has always wanted him to be a priest, Parsad himself took quite a few years to discern that was his vocation in life.

“My mother started out with the strong desire for me to be a priest, but it eventually evolved to a more trusting desire for God’s will for me,” Parsad said. “This evolution actually helped me realize that the priesthood was something I myself desired. She has the best intentions for me, and she always revered the nobility of the priesthood because of the SVD [Society of the Divine Word] missionary priests who served the people of Malibcong, Abra [a municipality in the Philippines].”

Parsad, the older of two children, grew up in the Philippines and attended Catholic schools. He was a student at St. Joseph Minor Seminary as a youth and after high school completed a bachelor’s degree in classical philosophy and a master’s degree in sacred theology at the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary in Manila. After that he taught theology and philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas and Paco Catholic School for three years. It was only then that he was ready to consider a calling to the priesthood, he said.

“I think it took me longer because I needed to spend more time with my family, more time to grow in emotional maturity, and more time to figure out what I truly desire,” Parsad said. “The priesthood is not a race anyway, and I wanted to make sure that I was informed enough to give my ‘yes’ to a lifetime of loving commitment.”

Once Parsad decided on his path, he reached out to Father Rodelio Ignacio, a fellow Santo Tomas Central Seminary graduate with whom he had become friends. Fr. Ignacio, who was administrator of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sandy until visa problems caused him to return to his home country, encouraged Parsad to become a priest for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

“I was drawn because of the invitation, needs and challenges of the Diocese of Salt Lake City,” Parsad said. “This is all I can say for now because the reason why God calls us to a certain place and ministry is usually revealed in a gradual manner, as time unfolds.”

After hearing from Fr. Ignacio, Parsad sent his application right away but then the pandemic hit, and the process stalled for two years. That was hard, the seminarian said.

“I dealt with the frustration by acknowledging and expressing it to the Lord in prayer and to my family and close friends,” he said. “The Lord stayed close to me, and he generously provided consolations, particularly through the encouragements of Deacon Sunday Espinoza, who was assistant to the vocation director. Fr. Ignacio and Bishop Solis himself also called me from time to time to check on me. In retrospect, it was an opportunity given by the Lord to grow in me the virtue of trust and perseverance.”

Parsad finally arrived in the United States on Aug. 15, 2022 and immediately enrolled at Mt. Angel Seminary in Bend, Ore., where many of the diocese’s seminarians study. Because of his previous education he was placed in the program’s third year.

On March 6, 2023 Parsad, along with fellow seminarians for the Diocese of Salt Lake City Jose Luis Gomez and Jaime Zuazo, was instituted as an acolyte at Mt. Angel Seminary by Bishop George Thomas of the Diocese of Las Vegas. He will complete his formal studies in December, then undertake pastoral work in the diocese. He is expected to take his priestly vows at the cathedral next June.

“To the people of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, I will be ready to serve you in whatever way I can, as a priest of Jesus Christ,” he said. “I hope to journey with you towards the Lord, and we hope to do so with joy.”  

Although it took Parsad some time to discern his path to the priesthood, he is now filled with joy and peace as he contemplates his future, he said.

“I feel a mix of eagerness, happiness and a tinge of nervousness,” he said about his upcoming ordination to the diaconate.

He had some words of advice to young men who may feel drawn to the same calling:

“To my dear brothers who feel drawn towards the priesthood but are reluctant, if you look closely in our salvation history, many of the great people (Moses, Jeremiah, Joseph, etc.) called by God were reluctant at first, so you are in good company,” he said “But like them, trust God; trust in the Father’s loving providence by taking the step towards the priesthood. I know it could be out of your comfort zones, but try and enter seminary, and experience it by yourselves. The only way to know is for you to take a risk. I promise it is worth it, for it will bring you more clarity and peace.”

Parsad is already a strength in the diocese and will continue to be after he is ordained both a deacon and a priest, said Father Dominic Sternhagen, vocations director and pastor of St. Ann Parish.

“He’s fantastic. We are very, very blessed,” Fr. Sternhagen said. “I had him in my parish, which is wonderful; he just connected very wonderfully with the people. He has a lot of the pastor’s heart, but also is a very gifted musician, and so participated in the choir and in other ways.”