By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Bishop Dennis Walsh will ordain Deacon Alfonso Pizano Jr. to the priesthood on June 6 at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Deacon Pizano first came to the Midwest from Los Angeles to discern a call to the priesthood with the Priests of the Sacred Heart. “While I was doing that, I studied at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology (in Hales Corners, Wisconsin). That is where I first came to know the Diocese of Davenport, because Davenport had seminarians studying there. That connection helped open the door.”
Originally from southern California, his home parish is St. Gertrude the Great in Bell Gardens, which is part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He attended Catholic schools there, was an altar server and had interactions with the Salesian sisters. “My vocation journey took a few turns,” Deacon Pizano said.
He began his journey in his home diocese. He earned a BA in education from Mount St. Mary University in Los Angeles and taught in Catholic schools before resuming studies in seminary. Later, he spent time with the Jesuits and completed an MA in elementary education from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. While at Loyola, he joined the Jesuits and spent six years with them. During that time he completed coursework toward an MA in philosophy at Fordham University in New York.
Deacon Pizano took a leave from the Jesuits and later resumed discernment in religious life with the Priests of the Sacred Heart. After completing his candidacy and approval to join their novitiate, he felt a call to diocesan priesthood. “That is where God was leading me.” The Diocese of Davenport became the place where that his call could continue to grow.
He arrived in the Diocese of Davenport in 2023 and took a transformative pastoral year at Divine Mercy Parish in Burlington/West Burlington. He also taught Spanish at Notre Dame High School in Burlington. He then continued studies at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
On Aug. 2, 2025, he was ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop Walsh at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Since that time, Deacon Pizano has been serving at St. Charles Borromeo and St. Roman parishes in Milwaukee for his preaching placement as a transitional deacon.
He said his parish assignment has been a good “testing ground as I prepare for the priesthood. It has given me the chance to work on preaching, to grow in my skills and to learn how to be with and for the people.”
The 47-year-old said his placement in Milwaukee has helped him to learn preaching is more than “just explaining the readings. It’s trying to connect the people’s hearts and lives to the heart of Jesus.”
Looking forward to the priesthood, Deacon Pizano said “being close to the people and helping them trust that God is close to them” is important. “I want to preach in a way that resonates in real life too. I want people to hear the Gospel and think, ‘That’s for me. God sees me. God has not given up on me.’”
He also looks forward to celebrating the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and reconciliation. “To stand at the altar and say, ‘this is my body,’ is something I do not take lightly. And to sit with someone in confession and speak words of mercy in the name of the Church feels like standing very close to the tenderness of God.”
“I hope to be a priest who is joyful, approachable, faithful and close to the people God puts in front of me,” Deacon Pizano said.
“The people of Iowa have been very good to me. They have welcome me, encouraged me and helped me feel at home. This was a surprising turn in my vocation story, but wow, it has become a real blessing.”
The Mass will be livestreamed on the Sacred Heart Cathedral YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@shcdavenport
