SALINAS, CA – Father Carlos A. Warfield, (1LT), USAR, a candidate for United States Military chaplaincy, was ordaine d a Catholic priest on Saturday, May 27, in his home Diocese of Monterey, CA. The new priest plans eventually to serve as an active-duty Catholic chaplain in the U.S. Army providing pastoral care to Catholic soldiers and their families with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
Father Warfield’s priestly ordination was celebrated at Madonna del Sasso Pro-Cathedral in Salinas, CA, through the laying of hands and the prayer of consecration invoking the Holy Spirit by Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Monterey. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, concelebrated the 10:30 a.m. ordination Mass with the participation of an overflowing crowd. The faithful were standing in the aisles and filled the Blessed Sacrament chapel behind the main altar. Among those in attendance were the new priest’s parents, Darwin and Deborah Warfield, brother and sister-in-law Robert and Lynette Warfield, Uncle Patric Alva, and religious friends Father Carlos Lopez, OSB; Sister Bernadette Muller, SDSH; Sister Teresa Liu, SDSH; Sister Paula Sawhill, SDSH; Sister Joannna Strouse, SDSH; and Sister Jaise Thomas, IM.
“I am deeply grateful,” Father Warfield said, “to have the love and support of so many people throughout my whole come together to celebrate the Lord’s calling. To celebrate this gift of the Church and share God’s love through the Priestly Vocation is a dream come true. I look forward to the adventure ahead, knowing that the Holy Spirit will continue build on these blessings through Jesus Christ.”
Father Warfield, 38, is a 2002 graduate of Desert High School at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), CA, and a 2015 graduate of Wayland Baptist University in San Antonio, TX, where he earned a bach elor’s degree in Math Studies. A U.S. Army combat veteran who rose to the rank of staff sergeant while serving eight years as a preventive medicine specialist, the new priest said he discerned his vocation while on deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2011 and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2012.
Father Warfield completed his formational studies at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, CA, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Under the Diocese of Monterey’s co-sponsored seminarian agreement with the AMS, he will serve in his home diocese for three years before entering active duty beginning with his assignment to Saint Benedict and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hollister, CA.
The eventual priestly service of Father Warfield and other Catholic chaplain candidates is greatly anticipated by the Army, which, like all other branches of the U.S. Military, continues to suffer a chronic shortage of Catholic chaplains. Currently, only 88 priests are on active duty in the Army, serving more than 120,000 Catholic soldiers and their families spread worldwide.
Young men interested in discerning a priestly vocation, and the vocation within a vocation to serve those who serve in the U.S. military, can find more information at milarch.org/vocations, or may contact the AMS Office of Vocations directly by email at vocations@milarch.org.
Donations in support of AMS Vocations are gratefully accepted at milarch.org/donate.
