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Stained Glass from
St. Joseph's

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Click here to learn about this and the other stained glass windows in our church designed by parishioner and local artist Mary Mullins.

St. Joseph's Clergy

Fr. Joseph Illo, Pastor

Fr. Joseph Illo was born in a little Italian part of the Bronx, City Island, and baptized at Our Lady Star of the Sea there. He grew up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and graduated from High School in 1979. He graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from the Pennsylvania State University in 1983, and then moved to San Francisco to work for a Catholic publishing house, Ignatius Press. He went on to study philosophy, theology, and history at Blackfriars, Oxford (England) for a year, then to Rome for a B.A. in philosophy from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the Angelicum). While in Rome he lived one year with the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and another year as porter of the Benedictine Motherhouse, Sant’Anselmo on the Aventine Hill.

From Rome he went to New York to complete four years of seminary training at St. Joseph’s Seminary, New York, earning M.Div. and M.A. degrees in theology. Bishop Donald Montrose of Stockton, CA ordained him to the priesthood in 1991. He has worked in parish assignments at Lodi, Manteca, Hughson, as well as two years as full-time vocations director for the diocese. In June 2000 he was named pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Modesto.

Fr. Illo enjoys all outdoor sports, especially backpacking, skiing, mountainbiking, rollerblading, kayaking, and snowcamping. He has traveled in Eastern and Western Europe, Latin and South America, and Asia, and is fluent in Spanish and Italian. He considers the parish priesthood God’s best gift to him and is very happy to be among the clergy of the Stockton diocese.

Fr. Benny Kottarathil, Associate Pastor

Fr. Benny Kottarathil, is a Benedictine monk-priest of the Sylvestro-Benedictine Congregation and belongs to the Syro-Malabar Rite, one of the three oriental churches of the East Syrian [Catholic] family. I have two brothers and one sister. My mother died of a heart attack (during her sleep) two months prior to my sacerdotal ordination! May her soul rest in peace!

Fr. Benny felt a strong call to the monastic way of life and joined St. Joseph’s Benedictine Monastery, Makkiyad [Kerala, India – some 108 km away from home] soon after High School. He made his Religious Profession in 1993, Perpetual Profession in 1999 and was ordained a priest on the Solemnity of Epiphany in 2001.

After his ordination to priesthood he served as Director Assistant in his Monastery Retreat Centre for a year, and then was sent to Rome for higher studies in Sacred Liturgy; and a Licentiate in Sacred Liturgy (Licentiam in Sacra Liturgia – LSL) from the prestigious Pontifical Liturgical institute, Rome. On his return to the Monastery after studies he was once again appointed as the Assistant Director in the same Retreat Centre, before transferring to Bangalore where he worked as a professor of Sacred Liturgy in a number of seminaries in the city. He comes to St. Joseph’s in Modesto taking a break from his teaching profession and living in a monastery.

Fr.Benny enjoys sports and games, especially badminton and chess. He loves music, classic and historic movies, and reading; his favorite authors are Shakespeare and Tolkien. He speaks Malayalam (his native language), English and Italian fluently; and has working knowledge in Ecclesiastical Latin, New Testament Greek, modern German and a little bit of French.

In his own words

I love St. Joseph’s, as it is a vibrant parish. I appreciate the magnanimity of Fr. Joseph Illo in giving me this opportunity to become part of this flamboyant family. I thank all the PSR kids for their lovely ‘welcome cards’; and thanks to you all for your warm welcome and fraternal concern. May God bless you and keep you!

Fr. Larry Guerrero, Modesto Area Hospital Chaplain

Deacon Ernest Ciccarelli

Mr. Ernie Ciccarelli was ordained to the permanent diaconate Saturday, September 10, at our Cathedral in Stockton. Long before he enrolled in the five-year diaconate program, Ernie practiced Catholic stewardship. He has a prayerful heart, a servant’s heart, and I first met him long before I came to this parish. We were working side-by-side in the Modesto Serra Club to promote priestly vocations while I was vocations director for the Diocese. Ernie is a behind-the-scenes guy, quietly going about his service, smiling and listening to the Holy Spirit. He has served in many areas of our parish, such as the RCIA team, the Serra Club and Respect Life. His greatest love, though, is the Holy Mass, which he serves with reverence and joy most days of the week, and twice or three times on Sunday. Ernie is, above all, faithful — I can count on him. And isn’t that what a steward should be? St. Paul says that, above all, “it is required of a steward that he be found faithful” (1 Cor 4:2). Let us pray that our deacons and priests and bishops be faithful, above all, to their Master, Jesus Christ. (Biography by Fr. Joseph Illo)

Click Here to see pictures of Deacon Ernest's ordination

Stained Glass from St. Joseph's