The Archdiocese of Chicago welcomed four new priests on May 18. Most are from Chicago, and one is from Pennsylvania. The men, who will take up their new assignments July 1, have walked varied paths toward ordination. Learn about them here, and join Chicago Catholic in congratulating them.

Father Timothy Berryhill, 35

First Assignment: St. Paul VI, Riverside

Born in: York, Pennsylvania

Education: Elementary and high school in Texas; Loyola University Chicago; University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary

Parents: Kathryn and Kenneth Berryhill

First Mass: St. George, Tinley Park

Father Timothy Berryhill was already discerning a vocation to the priesthood when he came into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Berryhill, who holds a degree in marketing from Loyola University Chicago and was a medical evacuation helicopter pilot in the Illinois National Guard, had stepped away from the religion of his youth while he was in college, after a skydiving mishap in flight school.

After that, a friend introduced him to Bishop Robert Barron’s “Catholicism” series and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and he attended a Lenten Word on Fire series at St. George Parish. It was there that someone asked if he was a seminarian.

“That was the first time the thought of being a seminarian and a priest had ever entered my mind,” said Berryhill, who followed up by attending an “Exploring Priesthood” weekend at Mundelein.

After being received into the church, Berryhill joined the InSearch discernment program and then moved into an archdiocesan house of discernment, now known as the Bishop Quarter House for the Spirituality Year.

“Every step I took toward seminary and toward priesthood was confirmed by a variety of experiences that told me that I was on the right track,” Berryhill said. “The fraternity that I had with other discerners and seminarians oriented toward the same goal fortified my desire to be a priest of Jesus Christ.”

Father Martin Nyberg, 28

First Assignment: St. Josaphat Parish

Born in: Chicago

Education: St. Edward School; St. Ignatius College Prep; Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.; University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary

Parents: Branka and Stuart Nyberg

First Mass: St. Edward Parish

Father Martin Nyberg’s family was always active at St. Edward Parish, and several priests encouraged him to consider whether he had a vocation to the priesthood. He never took the idea very seriously until deep into his undergraduate years at Catholic University of America, where he was studying international economics and finance.

A group that encouraged prayer beyond going to Mass and his classes both influenced the direction his life took, Nyberg said.

“Developing prayer habits outside of Sunday Mass changed everything for me,” he said. “Through eucharistic adoration, I experienced God as a real person who wants to have a relationship with me, desires my full flourishing, and wants to show me the way to that end in and through my relationship with Jesus.“I also became more convinced of the truth of the faith through the intellectual life. I’ll never forget the experience of being convinced that God is real in a philosophy of religion course and the joy and excitement this realization.

Father Andrew Panzer, 33

First Assignment: St. John Cantius

Education: Elementary and middle school in Prospect Heights; Wheeling High School; DePaul University; Holy Apostles College and Seminary; University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary

Parents: Miguel Angel Cabrera and Laurel Panzer

First Mass: St. John Cantius

Father Andrew Panzer’s vocation journey started with his family, especially his grandfather, who would take him to daily Mass when he was too young to attend school and read to him from the Bible.

“All this left a strong impression on me, and I can remember occasionally pretending to say Mass with bread at the family dinner table,” Panzer said.

He grew to love music, and studied music at DePaul University for two years after high school. While there, a priest recommended he seek spiritual direction at St. John Cantius, a parish that had also been recommended to him for its music program. The liturgy at St. John Cantius reawakened his early interest in priesthood. He approached the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, and, after a gap year, finished his undergraduate education at Holy Apostles College and Seminary.

After a year at the Canons Regular apostolate in Springfield, Panzer entered Mundelein Seminary. He professed final vows in the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius in 2020, and graduated from University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in 2023.

Father Juan Carlos Vargas Carillo, 33

First Assignment: Our Lady of the Rosary Parish

Education: Orozco Academy; Cristo Rey Jesuit High School; Xavier University, Cincinnati; University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary

Parents: Maura E. Carillo and Leonardo Vargas

First Mass: Immaculate Conception-Five Holy Martyrs Parish in Spanish; St. Edward, 11 a.m. July 21 in English

The parents of Father Juan Carlos Vargas Carillo came to Chicago when his mother was five months pregnant with him. Vargas grew up in Pilsen and attended St. Pius V Parish, where his mother was very involved, and Vargas began working at the parish in high school.

He studied social work, advocated for social justice and traveled while attending Xavier University in Cincinnati. After graduation, he spent a year volunteering with Mercy Corps in Guyana, and then worked in the foster care system in Chicago.

“During my four years as a social worker I learned, after many mistakes, how to put my work in the hands of God,” Vargas said. “As I began to put my work and life in God’s hands, I realized that I had never given myself the opportunity to see how my relationship with God was. From then on, in my moments of prayer, the call to the priesthood was more consistent, knowing that I had glimpses of God’s call since high school. This time, instead of running away from it, I decided to run toward it and realized that my job as a social worker was only part of how much God wanted for me.”