The Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio – America’s only national, pontifical seminary – welcomed 23 new alumni at its 127th Commencement Exercises on May 16. 

The graduating class included seminarians from the dioceses of Birmingham in Alabama, Columbus, Gaylord, Joliet, Kiyinda-Mityana (Uganda), Lugazi (Uganda), Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Steubenville, and Wheeling-Charleston. 

The day of celebration began with Baccalaureate Mass in the seminary’s Saint Turibius Chapel, celebrated by Msgr. Steven P. Beseau, rector and president of the seminary. Concelebrating were priests of the Community of Formators and many visiting clergy. 

The homily was given by Josephinum faculty member Father Dylan James, a priest of the Diocese of Plymouth, United Kingdom. “To those who are leaving,” he said, know that “Jesus has prepared a place. We always think about that phrase in respect to Heaven, that He has prepared a place there for those of us who are faithful to Him. But in the next phase of your life, He has prepared that place also, and He is waiting for you there. Go with Jesus and be ready to find Him.”

Following Mass, more than 200 guests joined seminary priests, faculty, staff, and seminarians in the Msgr. Leonard Fick Auditorium for Commencement Exercises. Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Philosophy, Master of Divinity, and Master of Arts degrees were conferred upon the seminarians. In affiliation with the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy, the Josephinum granted a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology pontifical degree to seven of the graduating transitional deacons. 

Two deacons also received a Hispanic Ministry Field Education Certificate, signifying their readiness for ministry to Hispanic-speaking communities. The Josephinum was one of the first seminaries in the United States to develop a Hispanic Ministry Program that prepares seminarians for ministry in the Latino community. Native English-speaking theologians are prepared to engage in ministry in Hispanic communities immediately after ordination.

Three individuals received a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies degree from the Josephinum Diaconate Institute. Inaugurated by the Pontifical College Josephinum in 2007, the institute offers formation and educational programming through distance learning – in both English and Spanish – to diaconal aspirants and candidates, permanent deacons and their spouses, and lay ministers who serve the people of God through ministry in the Catholic Church. The institute currently partners with 19 (arch)dioceses throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The final honor bestowed at Commencement was the Pinter Scholar Award. Established in 1975 in memory of Rev. Msgr. Nicholas Pinter (Josephinum professor, 1902-1957), the award recognizes the College of Liberal Arts seminarian who has excelled in academic formation in preparation for service to the Church. Announced as this year’s award recipient was seminarian Luke Eschmeyer of the Diocese of Columbus, who completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy summa cum laude. 

Eschmeyer offered an address on behalf of the Class of 2026. As graduates of the Josephinum, “we leave more configured to Christ and more aware that priesthood is not about ourselves, our preferences, or our comfort,” he said. “It is about giving our lives away for the salvation of souls. May we remain joyful, faithful, and ready to wherever the Church needs us most.”

Words from Monsignor Beseau, offered on behalf of the seminary community, acknowledged the bittersweetness of each Commencement ceremony. “Today the staff, faculty, and formators are reminded that the best things in life we are so happy to bring to fruition are oftentimes tinged with sadness,” he said. “Yet when these men came here, we knew they were not to remain here. So there is true joy we all feel for our graduates and gratitude for the time they have spent at the Josephinum.”  

At the conclusion of his remarks, Msgr. Beseau recognized faculty member Beverly Lane who, after 36 years of administrative service in the seminary’s A.T. Wherle Memorial Library, will retire this summer. “Today we say goodbye to one of our finest,” he said, and then announced the conferral of professor emerita status upon Lane, “in recognition of her distinguished service, professional excellence, and enduring contributions to the mission of the Pontifical College Josephinum.”

The Pontifical College Josephinum’s 2026 Commencement Exercises marks the close of another year of the seminary forming priests for the Church. Graduating deacons of the School of Theology will return to their respective dioceses to be ordained as priests; they will join more than 1,000 ordained alumni who currently serve the universal Church in nearly every U.S. state and in 18 countries around the world.