The four-town parish of St. Joseph Catholic Church of the Panther Valley in Summit Hill, will be served by a priest who has been assigned as administrator there by the Diocese of Allentown.

The Rev. Allen J. Hoffa, who turned 34 on Sunday, will take over the parish that serves Summit Hill, Lansford, Coaldale and Nesquehoning, effective June 20.Meanwhile, the parish's longtime pastor, the Rev. James J. Burdess, has been placed on a medical leave of absence.He will be living at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Orefield.Those changes were two of 15 announced by the diocese Monday.Rev. Hoffa comes to Summit Hill from his position as parochial vicar of Holy Guardian Angels Parish, Reading.Ordained on June 6, 2009, before serving in Reading, he served as a full time parochial vicar at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown, and part-time as chaplain at Allentown Central Catholic High School and at the Lehigh University Newman Center, Bethlehem.A son of Gregory and Annmarie (Iswalt) Hoffa, he graduated from Reading Central Catholic High School, where he was a three-sport athlete, competing on the football, basketball and track and field teams.He later played on the 2001 Albright College football team that went 7-4.The Rev. Hoffa received his B.A. in Philosophy from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in 2005 and earned his Master of Divinity degree from the seminary in 2008.Other diocesan appointments made Monday include:Rev. Brian M. Miller - from parochial vicar, St. Catharine of Siena Parish, Reading, to administrator, St. Mary Parish, Ringtown, and St. Joseph Parish, Sheppton, and chaplain, Marian High School, Hometown.Rev. James M. Torpey - from administrator, St. Mary Parish, Ringtown, and St. Joseph Parish, Sheppton, to medical leave of absence.