UNITED STATES
Modesto Bee
By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com
They were as close as brothers.
The Rev. Uriel Ojeda and the Rev. Angel Perez took their spiritual training together at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon beginning in the late 1990s, and they shared a bond forged by similar cultural backgrounds and spiritual philosophies.
Both had roots in Mexico and ministered to heavily Latino congregations, Ojeda’s in Northern California and Perez’s near Salem in Oregon. Both were revered by their parishioners, who praised them for their tireless work on behalf of children and the poor and sick.
Both entered the priesthood at a time of turmoil in the Catholic Church over sexual-abuse scandals, and as the church eagerly sought to accommodate a growing Spanish-speaking congregation.
In the changing Catholic church, Ojeda and Perez were rising stars.
Until it all fell apart.
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