By Emily Chaffins -
Photographer: Emily Chaffins
Twelve graduates pose with (front, middle) Msgr. Pablo Navarro, rector-president of St. John Vianney College Seminary; Archbishop Thomas Wenski; and Bishop Silvio Jose Baez, auxiliary of Managua, Nicaragua May 8, 2024 after the Commencement Ceremony and Baccalaureate Mass at St. John Vianney College Seminary.
Photographer: COURTESY
Archbishop Thomas Wenski delivers the homily during the Baccalaureate Mass on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 in St. Raphael Chapel at St. John Vianney College Seminary. Twelve graduates received Bachelor of Philosophy or Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy diplomas at the Commencement Ceremony following the Baccalaureate Mass.
MIAMI | Trumpets blared to announce 12 graduates in caps and gowns processing down the aisle of St. Raphael Chapel before this year’s Commencement Ceremony and Baccalaureate Mass at St. John Vianney College Seminary, in Miami.
Among the graduates who earned Bachelor of Philosophy or Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degrees were 10 seminarians hailing from the Archdiocese of Miami and dioceses of Charleston, Orlando, St. Augustine, and Venice. Mariya Jesuthasan Arularasi, a religious sister, and Pablo Jose Valarezo, a layman, were non-seminarian graduates who earned Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degrees.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski celebrated the Mass May 8, 2024. He was joined by Bishop Silvio Jose Baez, auxiliary of Managua, Nicaragua, and priests from the Archdioceses of Atlanta and Miami and the dioceses of Charleston, Orlando, and St. Augustine.
Photographer: Emily Chaffins
Class valedictorian and seminarian Alejandro Molina of the Archdiocese of Miami speaks during the Commencement Ceremony May 8, 2024, at St. John Vianney College Seminary. Molina, who received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, was one of 12 graduates who received their degrees at the Commencement Ceremony following the Baccalaureate Mass.
Monsignor Pablo Navarro, rector-president of St. John Vianney College Seminary, said all the seminarian graduates will be staying in discernment, with six transferring to St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach and the rest transferring to various seminaries out of state.
In his homily, Archbishop Wenski encouraged the graduates to be courageous witnesses. “We have to hold ourselves and all the baptized to high standards. We’re called to holiness.” He added, “We’re not guaranteed success, as St. Paul wasn’t always successful in his mission. But as Mother Teresa said, ‘God doesn’t ask that we succeed in everything, but that we are faithful.’”
Discipleship IV dean and seminarian Casey R. Marden noted the class of 2024 proved resilient in the face of challenges. As the graduate from the Diocese of St. Augustine noted, “Many of us started seminary during Covid” and had to navigate the cycling of administration, the adding of the Propaedeutic stage of formation, and completing senior projects and final exams.
The class valedictorian, seminarian Alejandro Molina of the Archdiocese of Miami, expressed gratitude to the priests; faculty, staff, and administration; family; and other seminarians for their support.
“Today, we graduate from philosophy, but not from life,” Molina said. “We have to live life, both the pain and the joys of growth.”
Photographer: Emily Chaffins
Seminarian Blake Schuman of the Diocese of Charleston holds his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy diploma as he poses with his family and Father Raynier Q. Dabu, CRS (left) after Commencement Ceremony May 8, 2024, at St. John Vianney College Seminary. Twelve graduates received their diplomas at the Commencement Ceremony following the Baccalaureate Mass at St. Raphael Chapel. Supporting Schuman were his mother Jessica, brothers Zackary and Cole, and father Jesse.
