Newly ordained Father Arthur Torres Barona stands with Father Peter Iorio, who attended the ordination in Colombia.
Bishop Richard F. Stika ordained Deacon Arthur Torres Barona a priest on Dec. 14 at St. Anne Church in the ordinand’s native Cali, Colombia.
Father Torres Barona becomes the 42nd priest ordained for the Diocese of Knoxville and the seventh ordained by Bishop Stika. He is also the second priest ordained by Bishop Stika in Colombia, following Father Andres Cano’s ordination in 2009 in Pereira.
This month’s ordination fell on Bishop Stika’s 28th anniversary as a priest.
Father Torres Barona will begin his first assignment as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart Cathedral in January.
“Certainly there are some exciting things that I look forward to as a future priest,” Father Torres Barona told The East Tennessee Catholic in 2012. “I’m pursuing to be a good human and spiritual resource for the Diocese of Knoxville and for the whole Church. I would like to be creative and to plant in every heart the seed of charity and unity, making the parishioners excited about one common cause for the good of the diocese.”
Father Torres Barona completed his studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis. He is the son of Duvan Torres Gil and Ana Julia Barona of Cali.
