This morning the Vatican published the appointment of the new bishop for the diocese of Monterey.

Here’s all the information I know: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/12/17/251217c.html.

No word on when he will begin his new assignment. For me, I consider it an early Christmas gift. Let’s keep Bishop-designate Ramon Bejarano in our prayers, Bishop Slavomir for holding down the fort, and the diocese.

Last weekend I celebrated the Eucharist for the first time in a California Mission: mission San Juan Bautista, founded in 1797 (history). It was the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday), when the old rose colored candle and vestments represent the dawn of salvation that will break out into Day on Christmas with the birth of Our Savior. A mission dedicated to St. John the Baptist was the perfect place to consider Advent and Christmas. Advent, unlike Lent, is characterized by joyful anticipation of the coming of the Savior after the dark ages of sin after the Fall.

December has also been a time of joyful anticipation for me. I am still waiting for the new bishop to be appointed, and preparing to cover at St. Patrick’s full time in Watsonville while the pastor is on sabbatical from January to March. In yesterday’s Gospel St. John the Baptist sent word from prison to Jesus to ask if he was the Messiah. Jesus told the messengers to tell John what they had witnessed: miracles and blessings. Good things are happening with the coming of Christ, but on the Lord’s time table. While things sort out for me I continue to live with joyful anticipation for Christmas and the new year. I hope you all do too. Merry Christmas (in advance).

I hope you are all well. I’ve been enjoying my time in Watsonville, living with my mother and my oldest brother, and helping out at the local parishes. I’m grateful for the local clergy’s welcome and the vicar for priest’s support at the chancery too. Still no word on the new bishop. I spoke with Bishop Slavomir (apostolic administrator keeping the diocese running) briefly by e-mail about a new book I’m publishing in Easter, and he was very gracious.

For the rest of the calendar year I’ll be helping with Mass coverage at St. Patrick’s, Holy Eucharist, and Mission San Juan Bautista. Occasionally Our Lady Help of Christians and Our Lady of Refuge. From early January to late March the pastor of St. Patrick’s will be on sabbatical and I will be substituting for him at the parish basically full time during that period. I will also be preaching the Lenten parish mission there (in English and Spanish) on liturgical devotion, drawing from my book, Maximizing the Mass.

With Advent just over a week away, by book of daily homiletic reflections for Advent and Christmas (the Liturgy, Day by Day, Volume I) will be available free on Kindle Unlimited on Amazon, and at a discount on the Kindle edition (link) starting the morning of the Solemnity of Christ the King (this Sunday, November 23rd) leading up to the first Sunday of Advent on November 30th. I’ve been working on the last three volumes of the series and I hope by summer to have them all published so you can have a daily homiletic reflection for each day of the year.

Thank you for all your love and support. I wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving next week.

Dear family and friends,

I just wanted to give a short update regarding where I am currently and what I am doing. Thank you all for your ongoing prayers and support. You are in my thoughts and prayers too. I’ll try sending a brief update monthly to keep you all in the loop.

I came back to my home town of Watsonville, CA on July 30th to start conversations with the bishop about receiving a pastoral assignment in the diocese of Monterey for three years and try a full time parish experience to see whether the Lord might be calling me to transition into diocesan priesthood at the end of  that period. With the permission of my superiors I am living on my own (currently with my Mom). The bishop was transferred a couple of weeks ago to Austin, TX, and an auxiliary bishop from Los Angeles, Bishop Slawomir Szkredka, has been appointed administrator for the diocese to keep things functioning until the new bishop is named. During this period I am still a Legionary of Christ and will be for years, but I am not living in a Legionary community or working in Legionary or Regnum Christi apostolates.

The diocese at the Legion’s request has extended my permission to work in the diocese until April of next year, so I have reached out to the parishes in and near south Santa Cruz county and I’m serving as a “supply priest”: a priest who helps with ministry without a formal assignment at one parish. I’ve been in conversation with the Vicar for Priests of the diocese and for my request to move forward the new bishop has to be named and installed as bishop before an assignment can be considered, since Bishop Slavomir’s assignment is to keep the ordinary business of the diocese running without making any major changes.

The local parishes have given me plenty of work (you can see my schedule of public ministry at any time on this calendar: https://fathernikola.org/events). I am happy to report that this process of seeking an experience to see if a change is in order was started with some serious diabetes issues in February that have dramatically improved since I moved out of a Legionary community and started working in parishes and spending time with my friends and family. Just one example: my A1C (an indicator of average blood sugar) in February was 8.3 (uncontrolled), and by the end of August it was down to 6.9 (well controlled for a diabetic). This also improved my eyesight by twenty percent, requiring a new prescription after only a year.

So I am at peace and grateful to the diocese for working with me and giving me an opportunity to serve at parishes while we await the new bishop. I’m also grateful to my family for a roof over my head while a parish assignment is being worked out. Having more time with family after years has been a blessing. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Dear Family and Friends,

To help keep everyone in the loop regarding where and when I will be celebrating Mass, I have added a calendar of Events to my website. It also has options for subscribing to it and receiving updates.

You can always see my upcoming ministry using the link https://fathernikola.org/events

God bless you!