Like ordination classes of the past several years, Los Angeles' new priests for 2008 represent an array of ages, cultural backgrounds and life experiences. But unlike any class since 1998, this year's also has the element of size.

On May 31, 12 men will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, with Cardinal Roger Mahony presiding. All 12 candidates have completed their theological formation at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, including year-long internships at parishes throughout the archdiocese, and the recent completion of service as transitional deacons.

During their ordination weekend, the new priests will celebrate their first Masses at their respective home parishes, before they begin their first assignments as associate pastors on July 1. Following are brief profiles of the new priests.

Randy R. Campos

Born: Nov. 8, 1962, Artesia.
Parents: Ignacio and Guadalupe Campos.
Education: Norwalk High School; Cerritos Community College, Norwalk;_St. John's Seminary College, Camarillo (B.A. in philosophy).
Prior occupations: Mail carrier, elementary school teacher and vice principal.
Home parish: St. John of God, Norwalk.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Mary Magdalen, Camarillo.
First Mass as priest: June 1, St. John of God.
First Assignment: Nativity, El Monte.
On becoming a priest: "I have been inspired by the goodness and kindness I have experienced in God and the people I have encountered, and the pleasure and fulfillment I have experienced through serving his people in various ministries. I am most grateful for God's mercy and all the spiritual truths and blessings God has so generously revealed to, and shared with, me through the Church, my family, my friends, and those who I have had the opportunity to serve."

Angel Castro

Born: Oct. 1, 1979, Mexico.
Parents: Maria Nolasco and Victor Castro.
Education: Seminario Hispano, Universidad Pontifica de Mexico (B.A. in philosophy).
Home parish: St. Matthew, Long Beach.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Raphael, Goleta.
First Mass as priest: June 1, 2:30 p.m., St. Matthew.
First Assignment: St. Columbkille and Nativity, L.A.
On becoming a priest: "My pastor, Father Guillermo Rodriguez, was truly an inspiration for me. I want to serve the people of God by giving my service as a priest."

William Robert Crowe Jr.

Born: Feb. 26, 1959, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Parents: William and Shirley Crowe.
Education: St. Aloysius School, Caldwell, N.J.; Immaculate Conception High School, Montclair, N.J.; Moehller HS, Montgomery, Ohio; Loyola Marymount University (B.A. in theology, M.A. in pastoral studies).
Prior occupation: Computer programmer.
Home parish: St. John Baptist de La Salle, Granada Hills.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Euphrasia, Granada Hills.
First Mass as priest: June 1, 4 p.m., St. John Baptist de La Salle.
First Assignment: St. Peter Claver, Simi Valley.
On becoming a priest: "The experience here at St. John's has been richly rewarding, because of the broad formation we receive --- spiritual and pastoral as well as academic. It is aimed at helping us become better at serving the people in our parishes. I look forward to applying what I have learned here in my new assignment."

Thai Le

Born: Sept. 8, 1969, Vietnam.
Parents: Mr. Thuong Le and Mrs. Khiem Nguyen.
Education: Thong Nhat High School, Vietnam; Kennesaw State University (B.A. in sociology).
Home parish: Incarnation, Glendale.
Transitional Diaconate: St. John Eudes, Chatsworth.
First Mass as priest: June 1, noon, Incarnation.
First Assignment: St. Paschal Baylon, Thousand Oaks.
On becoming a priest: "I think that my calling to study for the priesthood began when I was a young boy. I saw the Catholic Church as the center of the people's lives and hope. There was a great reverence for the Church where I grew up. These experiences instilled in me a love for the Church and a desire to serve. Eventually this desire spurred me on to discern for the priesthood; it inspired me and called forth my deepest sense of love and commitment to God and His people."

Timothy Clement Klosterman

Born: Aug. 13, 1978, Culver City.
Parents: Jim and Jane Klosterman.
Education: Paraclete High School, Lancaster; St. John's Seminary College (B.A. in philosophy).
Prior occupation: Life guard.
Home parish: St. Mary, Palmdale.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Paschal Baylon, Thousand Oaks.
First Mass as priest: May 31, 5:30 p.m., St. Mary.
First Assignment: St. Monica, Santa Monica.
On becoming a priest: "My inspiration to be a priest is grounded in my experience of being lost and now found, blind and now beginning to see, and alone and now included. This radical inclusivity, that Jesus offered the woman at the well, inspires me to gather in others as a priest. This 'gathering in' is the work of all the people of God, yet this loving inclusive encounter with God in the Eucharist is infinitely special. I am humbled and excited to be called to serve the people of Los Angeles as a priest."

Long Tuan Nguyen

Born: Dec. 26, 1979, Vietnam.
Parents: Nam Nguyen (father) and Lan Do (mother, died in 2005).
Education: Hawthorne High School; St. John's Seminary College (B.A. in philosophy).
Home parish: St. Catherine Laboure, Torrance.
Transitional Diaconate: Our Lady of Peace, North Hills.
First Mass as priest: May 31, 7 p.m., St. Catherine Laboure.
First Assignment: St. Emydius, Lynwood.
On becoming a priest: "All human beings simply live on earth once. Due to this 'once,' I was urged to think and search for the meaning of life. Eventually, I have found Christ in whom I also recognized the gift and call to the priesthood. Through the priesthood of Christ, I believe that the meaning of my Christian life can be found in love and service: 'As I have done for you, you should also do.'"

Brian Alan Nunes

Born: Oct. 26, 1964, Inglewood.
Parents: Robert and Yvonne Nunes.Education: St. Joseph School, Placentia; Servite High School, Anaheim; Loyola Marymount University (B.A. in communications).
Prior occupations: Publishing (news wire copy editor, tech support), classical record company.
Home parish: St. Augustine, Culver City.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Augustine; Holy Cross, Moorpark.
First Mass as priest: June 1, 5 p.m., St. Augustine.
First Assignment: Mary Star of the Sea, San Pedro.
On becoming a priest: "I wanted to commit myself to a life of service, and I could think of no better service than becoming a priest. My inspiration for Church work began with simply volunteering to help run the sound for a Life Teen band at Holy Family Church in Glendale back in 1996, and one thing led to another. But I recall even as a boy wanting to look through the Sacramentary the priest used for saying Mass. The barber my parents took me to as a kid has also reminded me that he used to ask my brother and me, which one of us would become a priest. Perhaps that too was a seed that was planted, and just needed time to grow."

Fidelis Chinedu Omeaku

Born: Nov. 17, 1977, Imo State, Nigeria.
Parents: Raphael Chiemelum Omeaku and Bridget Ngozi Omeaku.
Education: Bonus Pastor Seminary, Osina, Nigeria; St. Mary's Seminary, Umuowa, Nigeria; Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Ulakwo-Owerri, Nigeria (B.A. philosophy).
Home parish: St. Bernadette, Los Angeles.
Transitional Diaconate: Our Lady of Grace, Encino.
First Mass as priest: June 1, 10 a.m., St. Bernadette.
First Assignment: St. Mary, Palmdale.
On becoming a priest: "My desire in becoming a priest is to serve God and humanity, and to be God's instrument to spread his Gospel of love to all."

Leo Ortega

Born: Jan. 23, 1961, Philippines.
Parents: Eliseo and Joaquina.
Education: Manila Science High School, Philippines; University of the Philippines (B.S. in occupational therapy); University of Southern California (M.A. in occupational therapy).
Prior occupation: Occupational therapist.
Home parish: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pasadena.
Transitional Diaconate: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
First Masses as priest: June 1, 5 p.m., Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; June 8, 5 p.m., St. John of God, Norwalk.
First Assignment: St. Thomas the Apostle, Los Angeles.
On becoming a priest: "I found the seeds in my vocation in my work among people with disabilities. As an occupational therapist, I had the privilege of working with people from all backgrounds --- from Hollywood directors and actors to CEOs, from undocumented immigrants to gang members. I came to realize that regardless of backgrounds, people are essentially good; we all share a deep hunger to be loved and our needs ministered to. I came to appreciate the 'holiness' of my work in helping rehabilitate people to physical wholeness, yet I never was able to touch the deepest hunger and brokenness of their souls. That is the privileged role of the priest by the nature and exercise of his office. With this realization I entertained the possibility that I might have a calling to the priesthood."

Preston Patrick Passos

Born: Aug. 8, 1973, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Parents: William and Debbie Ann Passos.
Education: Ka'imuki High School, Honolulu; St. John's Seminary College (B.A. in theology/religious studies).
Prior occupation: Tourist industry, Hawaii.
Home parish: Our Lady of the Valley, Canoga Park.
Transitional Diaconate: Our Lady of the Valley.
First Mass as priest: May 31, 5 p.m., Our Lady of the Valley.
First Assignment: St. Charles Borromeo, North Hollywood.
On becoming a priest: "I was most inspired by the love of God and the deep faith of my paternal grandmother and by the religious priests, brothers, and sisters who served in the parish where I grew up, St. Augustine, Waikiki. My parish family growing up was my second family, and I became such a part of that family that I knew God was calling me to serve and love His people just as those religious had done for us for so many years. I am inspired continuously today by the faith and support of God's people in our parishes and look forward to serving them following the example of Jesus our Shepherd, with the help of God, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit."

Hieu Chi Tran

Born: Dec. 20, 1976, Vietnam.
Parents: Mr. Tran Hung Sanh and Mrs. Luu Th? Ton.
Education: Claremont High School, Claremont; Cal Poly Pomona (degrees in business administration: telecommunication and international business marketing).
Prior occupation: Business consultant.
Home parish: Our Lady of the Assumption, Claremont.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Joseph, Pomona.
First Mass as priest: May 31, 7 p.m., Our Lady of the Assumption.
First Assignment: Sacred Heart, Lancaster.
On becoming a priest: "I discovered my vocation to the priesthood because a priest once asked me, 'Have you ever thought that you have a call to serve as a priest?' This was actually the motivation that triggered my curiosity and challenged me to look deeper into myself, which helped me to ask: 'What is it that God wants me to do with my life?' Since then, I began to search for the true meaning of life and began to discern. Through my discernment process, I found a new relationship, a relationship with God. This relationship fueled my heart with a desire to love God and God's people, to love with my full capacity as a human person, to love without reservation."

Ricardo Henry Viveros

Born: May 3, 1979, Torrance.
Parents: Ricardo and Mary Anne Viveros.
Education: St. Margaret Mary School, Lomita; Bishop Montgomery High School, Torrance; Los Angeles Harbor College; Long Beach State (B.A. in history).
Prior occupations: Disney Store; Long Beach Unified School District.
Home parish: St. Margaret Mary, Lomita.
Transitional Diaconate: St. Margaret Mary; St. Anthony, Long Beach.
First Mass as priest: June 1, 9:30 a.m., St. Margaret Mary.
First Assignment: St. Genevieve, Panorama City.
On becoming a priest: "My inspiration for becoming a priest was the pastor that I grew up with, Bishop Joe Sartoris. He made a tremendous impact in my life and remains one of my heroes to this very day."