The following four men are being ordained to the priesthood this spring alongside Alvin Joys:

Peter Bissonnette: the fourth of seven children, Bissonnette will be ordained for the Diocese of Peterborough. He is answering a call he felt as a young second grader and altar boy, and entered St. Augustine’s Seminary at age 21.

The 28-year-old’s early days saw him educated in Brantford, Ont., where his family farmed in Mt. Pleasant, Caledonia and now Almonte, Ont. He attended Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, Ont., and worked as a political staffer before entering the seminary.

James Cyfko: born and raised in Mississauga, Ont., Cyfko is older brother to seven siblings. An athlete from an early age, his life revolved around the rink, the gym and his studies, as he aimed for an NCAA scholarship.

The athletic field, however, didn’t provide the deeper peace Cyfko sought. While close to realizing his athletic and academic dreams he chose to further discern what his heart was experiencing and joined St. Augustine’s Seminary. He went on to study at Toronto Metropolitan University and has treasured his seminary formation for the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Jesús Fidel Añón: the native of Spain at 14 became part of the Neocatechumenal Way and joined a community. After high school, he went on to college to study pathological anatomy and began a career working in a laboratory. 

It was at World Youth Day in Poland in 2016 when Fidel first felt the call to the priesthood. He went on a retreat with the Neocatechumenal Way in Italy and from there was sent to Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary in Toronto. Now in his fourth and last year of theological studies, he is looking forward to serving as a priest of Jesus Christ.

Jude Thusiar: born in Toronto to devoutly Catholic parents who immigrated from Sri Lanka, faith was instilled early into this 29-year-old’s life — daily Mass, a daily family Rosary, weekly holy hours and serving as an altar boy, which all drew him closer to Christ. The seed of priesthood was planted early in Thusiar’s heart.

He studied mechanical engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and was deeply involved with Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy. After university, he discerned a call to the priesthood and entered the seminary in 2018. Upon ordination he will serve in the Archdiocese of Kingston.