Fr. Vic Teneza
Pastor
Rev. Fr. Vicente Catriz Teneza is one who intends to make each day of life count. If you were to ask him why, he would certainly say, “We have one life to live; we might just as well live it well.”
Family, Church and school provided Fr. Vic the necessary virtues and characteristics to grapple with the challenges of life. The youngest of six children, he was born on February 5, 1971 to Julio Alipio Teneza and Priscilla Catriz Teneza. His family saw to it that Fr. Vic understood that life expected something from him, and not the other way around. This must be how he gained such passion for life.
St. Joseph Seminary in his native province of Abra, San Pablo Major Seminary in Baguio City, Immaculate Conception School of Theology in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park must have done him well, too. He finished his theological studies during the Great Jubilee Year of 2000 and was ordained deacon on December 31 of the same year. Bishop William Weigand ordained him a priest at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral on May 28, 2001.
Fr. Vic’s first appointment was as Parochial Vicar of St. John the Baptist Parish in Folsom following his ordination. Then, he became the Parochial Vicar of St. Catherine of Siena Parish and concurrently Chaplain of St. Vincent-St. Patrick High School in Vallejo in 2003. The bishop must have noticed early on his knack for management and administration, and so in 2007 he assigned him as the Director of Campus Ministry of St. Vincent-St. Patrick High School while a resident priest at St. Basil Parish in Vallejo and retaining his office as chaplain. Since “with great power comes great responsibility”, despite his youth, Fr. Vic assumed the office of pastor at St. Paul Parish in Sacramento in 2008. His passion for the ministry, his indisputable leadership qualities and his approachability and engaging presence contributed in making St. Paul Parish into the bustling family it is today.