SAN DIEGO — The Diocese of San Diego is about to welcome three new priests.
Transitional Deacons Brian Frulla, Anthony Jimenez and Jesse Lopez will be ordained to the priesthood by Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano during an ordination Mass celebrated at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 14, at St. Thérèse of Carmel Church.
On Dec. 7 of last year, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy ordained the three men to the transitional diaconate during a Mass at The Immaculata Church. Ordination to the transitional diaconate represents the penultimate step in the path to priestly ordination, when seminarians formally commit themselves to lives of celibacy, prayer, and obedience to their bishop.
Effective July 1, the newly ordained priests will begin their first assignments as associate pastors — Frulla at St. Therese Parish in Del Cerro, Jimenez at St. John of the Cross Parish in Lemon Grove, and Lopez at St. Mark Parish in San Marcos.
Deacon Brian Frulla
“I am extremely excited and extremely nervous because it is such a great gift as well as a great responsibility,” said Deacon Frulla, 28, reflecting on his upcoming ordination.
The Escondido native, who attended Resurrection Parish, said the “first seed” of his priestly vocation was planted when he was 15. He recalled having “a profound experience with the Eucharist at a confirmation retreat” and, the next day, being asked by one of the chaperones if he had ever considered becoming a priest.
“That call laid dormant until my final year of college,” said Deacon Frulla, who majored in Chemical Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. “I received a special grace where I felt a strong desire to go to Mass and the Blessed Sacrament chapel every day for an entire month. At the end of that month, I felt God calling me to the seminary.”
Previously, he had worked as a math and science tutor, as well as a musician performing in coffee shops and at retreat centers, and had aspired to a STEM-related career.
While still a transitional deacon, Frulla officiated his first wedding.
“Standing there in that moment as the ordained minister,” he said, “I felt like I was in the right place, about to step into my vocation.”
“I look forward to the joys of being invited into the many moments of people’s lives,” he said. “The sacraments touch on birth, death and everything in between. I am honored to be present for the profound and the mundane parts of that ‘in between.’”
Deacon Anthony Jimenez
With the date of his priestly ordination drawing nearer, 43-year-old Deacon Jimenez said, “I am very happy. I feel a sense of peace and joy that God brought me to this place. I feel a great sense of hope.”
Originally from La Mesa, Deacon Jimenez was a member of St. Martin of Tours Parish and attended St. Martin of Tours Academy and the University of San Diego High School, whose legacy continues today at Cathedral Catholic High School.
He was “always active” in parish life, first as an altar server and later as a lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
Deacon Jimenez earned a bachelor’s in Government and Politics at Humboldt State University, now known as Cal Poly Humboldt, in 2006.
Before entering the seminary, Deacon Jimenez taught junior high math at Holy Trinity School in El Cajon – a job he continued as a seminarian during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While I was very happy in my career, I always felt like God might be calling me to priesthood,” he said, explaining that “something clicked” the year before he entered the seminary.
Deacon Jimenez reflected on what priesthood means, explaining that he views it as “all about walking with others on their journey.”
“It is about sharing the Good News that God is with us and invites us into his life,” he said. “Living and sharing this reality is cause for great joy.”
“There is so much to look forward to,” he said. “I am looking forward to journeying with couples preparing for marriage. I am looking forward to bringing the presence of God to others through the sacraments. I look forward to entering into people’s lives, wherever they are in their faith journey, and accompany them along the way.”
Deacon Jesse Lopez
Originally from Illinois, Deacon Lopez attended the University of San Diego, earning a bachelor’s in Business Administration. In 2017, he returned to San Diego about 12 years after his graduation, and became a parishioner of The Immaculata Parish, located on the USD campus.
Deacon Lopez, 44, “always thought” that his future would include a family, a career and a house of his own.
“That’s exactly the path I was moving along,” said Deacon Lopez, who had worked in finance, management and human resources prior to entering the seminary.
“As a late vocation, I took a much longer and windier road than most men in the program discerning the priesthood,” he said. But he recognized “a void in my life.”
“As we all know, it only gets harder and harder trying to fill a void that is only meant to be filled by God,” he said.
For Deacon Lopez, what made the priesthood attractive was the promise of “a purpose that leads to a life filled with significance and value beyond just myself.”
As a transitional deacon, Lopez already has been able “to recognize real joy in service.”
“My greatest hope for this first assignment of my priesthood is to continue to grow,” he said. “Through example and service, I hope to embody the love and mercy of Christ and be a bridge for others to come closer to Him.”
Ordination Mass
The Catholic community is invited to the ordination of three men to the priesthood for the Diocese of San Diego — transitional Deacons Brian Frulla, Anthony Jimenez and Jesse Lopez.
The Mass will be on Saturday, June 14, at 10 a.m., at St. Thérèse of Carmel Church, 4355 Del Mar Trails Road, San Diego. Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano will celebrate the Mass, accompanied by clergy from across the region and beyond.
The ordination also will be livestreamed at sdcatholic.org/ordination2025.
