Filemon Arsenio Juya

Columbia: A Mass of Christian Burial for The Rev. Fr. Filemon Arsenio Juya Vargas, 56, of Columbia, SC, will be celebrated at 5 o’clock on Wednesday, July 6, 2011, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 100 Polo Road, Columbia, SC 29223, with Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone officiating. Burial will take place at a later date in Rondon, Colombia. The family will receive friends from 6 until 9 o’clock on Tuesday at the church with a vigil service at 7 o’clock. Memorials may be made to St. John Neumann Catholic Church. Shives Funeral Home, Colonial Chapel, is assisting the family.

Fr. Juya Vargas died Thursday, June 30, 2011. Born May 1, 1955 in Rondon, Colombia, he was a son of Estanislao Juya and Briceida Vargas. A devoted and well-loved priest, Fr. Juya Vargas served for over 18 years on the staffs of St. John Neumann and St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, Batesburg-Leesville. His sincere and joyous expression of faith within the St. John Neumann and St. John of the Cross families will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his brother, Rev. Fr. Jose Antonio Juya of Gastonia, NC, where he serves with the Diocese of Charlotte, NC; as well as his parents and additional brothers and sisters, all of Colombia.