Bishop Ruggieri announces priest assignments for Hispanic Ministry
His Excellency Bishop James T. Ruggieri has announced the following new priest assignments.
Reverend Emmanuel Giantar Ngange has been appointed to serve full-time in Hispanic Ministry, effective April 1, 2026. Fr. Ngange is a priest of the Diocese of Kumbo in Cameroon. He completed his studies in philosophy and theology at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui. Following his ordination in 2011, he served as assistant pastor at St. Matthias Mulumba Parish and later at Christ the King Parish, where he also ministered as chaplain at St. Rita’s Catholic Technical High School in Nkambe. He also served as a teacher of Latin, music and religious studies at St. Aloysius Minor Seminary in Kitiwum. In 2018, Father Ngange was sent to Spain, where he learned Spanish, earned a licentiate in catechesis, and ministered in eight parishes over four years. This experience deepened his pastoral skills and cultural competence, particularly within Spanish-speaking communities. Father Ngange is in residence at St. Joseph’s Rectory in Portland.
Reverend Nicholas Harding, OMI, has been appointed to serve part-time in Hispanic Ministry, effective May 15, 2026. Father Harding is a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate religious congregation. He earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum), and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) at the Pontifical Gregorian University, both in Rome. Since his ordination, his priestly ministry has included serving as pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Houston, TX, San Eugenio Parish in Tijuana, Mexico, and Christ the King Parish in Chincha, Peru. Father Harding has also served in ministry at St. Joseph Shrine in Lowell, MA, San Fernando Catholic Church in Los Angeles, CA and multiple parishes in Habana del Este, Cuba. He also was the rector of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville, TX. He will be in residence at St. Joseph’s Rectory in Brewer.
