Six Seminarians Ordained as Priests Saturday

The Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, conferred the sacrament of priestly ordination on six men Saturday, May 31, at  the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Five of the men received their formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and earned Master of Divinity degrees. The program addresses all aspects of the life of a priest, integrating human development, spiritual growth, academic study and pastoral formation. Of particular note is the seminary’s Teaching Parish Program, where five of the the seminarians spent time in a parish each week over the past four years participating in various aspects of parish life and pastoral service. The sixth completed his seminary training at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and is being ordained for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Msgr. Aloysius R. Callaghan, rector and vice president of the St. Paul Seminary noted this year’s theme, “Be calm, be of good cheer, fan the flame.”

“Our new priests leave with an ardent desire to evangelize. In their years of formation they have engaged in creative initiatives including an organized Evangelization in Action program in local parishes," said Callaghan. "They now take these words to heart as they go forth to serve God’s people.”

Those ordained into the priesthood were:

  • Deacon Michael Barsness, from Northfield and one of three children of parents Joel and Ritva. Barsness attended Dana College in Blair, Neb., and completed his seminary training at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. His teaching parish was Holy Family in St. Louis Park. He will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 1, at Holy Family Parish.
  • Deacon Joseph Kuharski, from St. Anthony Village and one of twelve children of parents John and Mary Anne. Kuharski attended the University of St. Thomas and did his seminary training in Rome at the Pontifical North American College, where he’ll return for a fifth year in the fall. He’ll celebrate his first Masses of Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 1,  at St. John the Baptist Church in New Brighton, as well as at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, July 13,  at St. Charles Borromeo parish in St. Anthony.
  • Deacon Kevin Manthey, from Farmington and one of two children of parents Jim and Ann. Manthey attended the University of St. Thomas and completed his seminary training at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. His teaching parishes were Nativity of Mary in Bloomington and St. John Neumann in Eagan. He will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 1, at St. Michael Church in Farmington.
  • Deacon Marcus Milless, from Coon Rapids, and one of twelve children of parents Michael and Mary Jane. Milless attended Anoka-Ramsey Community College and completed his seminary training at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. His teaching parish was St. Francis Xavier in Buffalo, and he will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, June 1, at 11 a.m. at The Church of the Epiphany.
  • Deacon Marc Paveglio, from Palmyra, Pa., is one of three children of parents Mario and Sandra. Paveglio attended Penn State University and completed his seminary training at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. His teaching parishes were Minneapolis’ Our Lady of Peace and St. Lawrence Church. He will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1, at Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata.
  • Deacon Paul Shovelain, from Saint Michael and one of five children of parents Jim and Marie. Shovelain attended St. John Vianney College Seminary and graduated from the University of St. Thomas. His teaching parish was St. Patrick Church in Oak Grove. He will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 1, at St. Michael Church in St. Michael.