Two men ordained priests of diocese by bishop in cathedral

With great joy, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney ordained two men from parishes in Paterson and Passaic as priests of the diocese during a Mass he celebrated on June 24 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The bishop urged these two newest priests of the diocese “to get ready and be well prepared to serve the Church in challenging and exciting times” — both now and in the future.

During the Rite of Ordination, steeped in the rich traditions of the early Church, Bishop Sweeney ordained Father Starli J. Castaños Rodríguez of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Paterson and Father Krzysztof Tyszko of Holy Rosary Parish/Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, in Passaic. Father Castaños was born in the Domini­can Republic. Father Tyszko was born in the United States to Polish-born parents. Celebrated on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, patron of the diocese, the Mass was said in English, Spanish, and Polish, reflecting the priests’ backgrounds.

“You are being ordained a priest of Jesus Christ in challenging times and uncertain times, but that’s the way it’s been for the last 2,000 years [of Christianity]. These also are exciting times in the diocese — a vibrant and growing diocese. We see the beauty of the immigrant Church here,” Bishop Sweeney told Father Castaños and Father Tyszko in his homily. The priests’ home parishes, he said, are part of that immigrant Church: St. Anthony’s, which has a dynamic Spanish-speaking community, and Holy Rosary, which has a strong Polish community.

On the morning of June 24, St. John’s welcomed a wide spectrum of well-wishers — family, friends, priests, and religious of the diocese, members of the parishes where the two priests had served, and the faithful from around the diocese and beyond. Many priests concelebrated the ordination Mass with the assistance of deacons and seminarians. The diocesan choir, led by Preston Dibble, diocesan music minister, and choir director, performed worship music for the Mass.

The ordination Mass was livestreamed on the diocese’s website for faithful and family members of the priests who were unable to attend.

In his homily, Bishop Sweeney reminded the two new priests that, since their first year of theology studies ending in 2020, they have watched the Church respond to numerous crises. They include the COVID-19 pandemic, the social unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and the most recent U.S. presidential election and its aftermath. But in the same time period, the Church also has had much to celebrate, notably the Year of St. Joseph, the Synod on Synodality, and the three-year national Euchar­istic Revival, now in its second year.

Bishop Sweeney also told the new priests, “We will pray that you grow closer to Jesus day by day in your priesthood, especially as you celebrate the Mass, forgive sins, celebrate the sacraments, and unite the people of God together as one family.

At the end of Mass, the bishop thanked all those who nurtured the vocations of Father Castaños and Father Tyszko, including their families, parishes, seminaries, and Bishop Emeri­tus Arthur J. Serratelli, who was unable to attend.

After the Mass, Father Cesar Jaramillo, who is assigned to doctoral research in canon law in Rome effective July 1, took to social media to congratulate Paterson’s newest priests.

“May Christ, the Good Shep­herd, form their priestly hearts after his own so that they can effectively communicate the great mysteries of our faith to the souls entrusted to their care,” Father Jaramillo posted.

Starli J. Castaños Rodríguez

Born on Sept. 28, 1993 in Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic to Hector F. Castaños and Josefa Rodríguez.

Home parish: St. Anthony of Padua in Paterson.

Education: Graduated from the following schools: Public Safety and Sports Business Academy (high school) in Paterson in 2013; Seton Hall University in South Orange, earning a bachelor’s degree in Catholic theology in 2019; and Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University, earning a Masters of Divinity.

Apostolic experience: Campus Ministry at Seton Hall University in South Orange, 2013–14; St. John the Evan­gelist Parish in Bergenfield, 2014–15; St. Brendan Parish in Clifton, 2015–16; for his pastoral year; Blessed Sacrament Parish in Roseland, 2016–17; soup kitchen of the Missionaries of Charity in Newark, 2017–18; St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, 2018-19, as assisting chaplain; St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Paterson, 2013–22; St. Jude Parish in Budd Lake, summer 2021; and St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa since June 2022.

Father Krzysztof Tyszko

Born in Ridgewood on Sept. 25, 1996 to Tomasz and Malgorzata Tyszko.

Parish: Holy Rosary/Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II in Passaic.

Education: Graduated from the following schools: Paramus Catholic High School in 2015; Seton Hall University in South Orange, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophical theology in 2019 while studying at St. Andrew’s College Seminary and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, earning a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 2022. Currently pursuing a Licen­tiate in Sacred Theology in Church history from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) in Rome.

Pastoral Experience: Taught religious education for several years at Holy Rosary Parish/Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II in Passaic and St. Philomena Parish in Livingston. Assisted at the Newman Center at Rutgers University/New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. Assisted the chaplaincy department at East Orange Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Assisted Chaplain Corps at Aviano U.S. Air Force Base in Aviano, Italy. Served as a guide for pilgrims for the Scavi Necropolis tour under St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.