Five men hailing originally from Asia, Mexico and Hollywood will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles June 2 by Cardinal Roger Mahony.

Four of the five --- Fathers Edward Benioff, Marco Durazo, Anh-Tuan Nguyen and Rafael Venegas --- are in the 33 to 36 age range, in line with the national average ordination age of 35, according to the "Class of 2007" priesthood ordination survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). The fifth --- 56-year-old Father Jay Jay Wu --- has served as a permanent deacon in the archdiocese since 1999.

All five candidates have completed their theological formation at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. That period has included year-long internships at parishes throughout the archdiocese, and the recent completion of service as transitional deacons.

Their Mass of Ordination will take place June 2, 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, with Cardinal Roger Mahony presiding. Following are brief profiles of the new priests, who begin their first assignments as associate pastors on July 1.

Edward Carlton Benioff
Born: Feb. 28, 1971 in Hollywood, Calif.
Parents: Howard and Alice Benioff.
Education: Arcadia High School; Cal Poly Pomona (bachelor's degree).
Prior occupations: Teacher.
Home parish: Holy Family, Glendale.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Finbar, Burbank.
First Mass as priest: June 3, 11 a.m. at St. Finbar.
First Assignment: Holy Trinity, San Pedro.
On becoming a priest: "As I entered adulthood I was searching for love and meaning in the ways the world offered: pleasure, money and power. I thought to myself, 'There must be something deeper to life.' I realized that only in God would I be totally fulfilled and happy.

"Without God I was restless but when I found God I finally attained peace. That explains the title of my vocation story from the great Patristic father, St. Augustine of Hippo. Like many people in our current culture, St. Augustine sought happiness and fulfillment in the things of the world. Like me, these things left him empty. Like a loving Father, God was calling out to Augustine in order to give him true peace.

"After living a God-centered life for five years, I desired to serve God in a more radical manner --- as a priest. I entered priestly formation and have experienced God's joy in serving Him with an undivided heart in following Jesus' call, 'Come, follow me.' I pray that other men who are looking for a deeper meaning in life will also consider the holy priesthood of Jesus Christ."

Marco Antonio Durazo
Born: March 5, 1971 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Parents: Marco Antonio Durazo and Francisca Amalia Valencia.
Education: Colegio Maria Auxiliadiora in Granados (elementary); Centro de Bachillerato Technologico Industrial y de Servicios in Hermosillo (secondary); Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterey (bachelor's in architecture).
Prior occupations: Design company drafter.
Home parish: St. Louis of France, La Puente.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Louis of France and Sacred Heart, Ventura.
First Mass as priest: June 3, 3 p.m. at St. Louis of France.
First Assignment: Santa Clara, Oxnard.
On becoming a priest: "I have felt the desire to be a priest since childhood, growing up in a very religious family and attending schools where vocations were constantly promoted. But I decided to attend public high school, pursuing degrees in business and architecture.

"While I was working, I studied the Bible, which in turn made me think about the community where I lived, and the desire for peace, social justice and especially knowledge of God. These wonderful experiences led to a 180-degree turn in my life, and I entered the seminary in 2001.

"My vision of the priesthood is to respond generously to God's call by being a disciple of Christ who guides people of faith. More than a job, priesthood is a state of life in which one finds identity in Jesus Christ. The priest is a leader, with strength of character, vision and preparation necessary to guide and minister effectively to the people of God in a contemporary, multicultural society."

Anh-Tuan Nguyen
Born: July 10, 1971 in Bien Hoa, Vietnam.
Parents: Hoa Van Nguyen and Chuc Thi Cao.
Education: Ngo Quyen High School in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai, Vietnam; Cal Poly Pomona (bachelor's in computer science).
Home parish: St. Catherine Laboure, Torrance.
Transitional Diaconate: St. John of God, Torrance.
First Mass as priest: June 2, 7 p.m. at St. Catherine Laboure.
First Assignment: Our Lady of the Assumption, Ventura.
On becoming a priest: "In high school, I began to get involved in my parish catechism process. In 1989, as I entered the church and signed myself with holy water, I felt a formidable and mysterious call of being holy, being a priest, being a servant. I felt a seed of vocation to a life of complete service to the people of God.

"After emigrating to the U.S. in 1992, I earned a degree while I discerned my call to priesthood. I became involved at St. Catherine Laboure in children's catechesis and sacramental preparation. Through my ministry in serving children, my vocation was further confirmed and the desire for priesthood was ever more vivid, and I entered St. John's in 2001.

"Relying on God's grace, and prayer of the faithful, my vocation continues to thrive. Please continue to pray for me as I do you for you so that we may fulfill our special vocations with zealous fervor."

Rafael Venegas Raygoza
Born: Dec. 5, 1973 in San Nicola de Ibarra, Jalisco, Mexico.
Parents: Rafael and Adelaida Venegas.
Education: Seminario Felipe y Galindo (jr. high seminary) and Seminario Menor San José (high school seminary), Guadalajara; Blair High School, Pasadena; Pasadena City College; St. John's Seminary College (bachelor's in philosophy and Spanish, 2000); Universidad Libre Internacional de Las Americas.
Home parish: Sacred Heart, Altadena.
Transitional Diaconate: Sacred Heart.
First Mass as priest: June 3, 1:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart.
First Assignment: Holy Family, Glendale.
On becoming a priest: "I first felt called to priesthood at age 11. My pastor, Father Carlos Gomez, was a very humble and spiritual priest who was always willing to serve, and he became my role model.

"As a priest, I hope to be aware of and acknowledge my weaknesses and my gifts; to realize that I am not alone in this ministry, that God, my brother priests, friends and family all support me; to accept and be honest in my commitment as priest to God and his church.

"The Eucharist is key to this. It is Christ's own offering of love for his people. I want to do the same. I want to be deeply in love with God and his church. I want to be a bridge between God and people, between races and cultures."

Jay Jay Wu
Born: Jan. 19, 1951 in Macau.
Parents: Paul and Ana Wu.
Education: Don Bosco elementary School, Macau; Technical High School, Taiwan; Ya-Tung Technology College, Taiwan; St. John's Seminary (MAPM degree).
Prior occupations: Supervisor, Ford Motor Vehicle Manufactory Planning Dept., Taiwan; Accountant, Los Angeles.
Home parish: St. John Vianney Church, Hacienda Heights.
Transitional Diaconate: St. John Vianney.
First Mass as priest: June 3, 9:30 a.m. (Mandarin), St. Thomas Aquinas, Monterey Park; 6:15 p.m. (Mandarin), St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Rowland Heights.
First Assignment: Holy Angels, Arcadia.
On becoming a priest: "Traditional Chinese religion is a mix of Buddhism, Confucianism and a small amount of Christianity. It is estimated that less than one percent of Los Angeles' Chinese population is Catholic.

"From what I have observed, evangelization to the non-Catholic is a must, and these communities need a substantial catechetical education. These tasks demand more full-time priests and their commitment to reaching out to the unbaptized.

"I feel called to this evangelization of 'parish mission' in Los Angeles. These tasks urge me to overcome my struggles, especially with English as my second language, in the priestly formation program. After all, if God calls me for priesthood, then He will provide me enough strength to follow Him."