Fr. Ivan was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ for the Diocese of Las Cruces on June 19, 2020 in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary where he was baptized Nov. 8, 1992. A lifelong Las Cruces resident, Fr. Ivan felt called to the priesthood during his Senior year of High School while helping direct a retreat. After studying Kinesiology at NMSU and earning his bachelors degree he was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Las Cruces and sent to Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, TX for his philosophy studies. After completing his pre-theologate, Fr. Ivan was sent to the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. After a year as Parochial Vicar at Assumption Catholic Church in Roswell, Fr. Ivan was sent to our parish as the Parochial Administrator and has quickly become a member of our parish family.