Bishop Earl Fernandes will ordain Deacons Kevin Girardi, Joseph Rolwing and Samuel Severance to the priesthood at a 10 a.m. Mass on Saturday, May 17 at Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church, 313 N. State Street.
The ordination is taking place at St. Paul to accommodate a large number of attendees. Ordinations to the Sacred Order of Presbyter have been moved from Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral in the past. Priesthood ordinations previously took place at St. Paul in 2018 and 2021.
This year’s Mass is open to anyone who would like to attend.
Deacons Girardi, Rolwing and Severance have spent their final year of studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum, located in north Columbus.
Deacon Girardi, 31, is from Columbus Our Lady of Victory Church and a graduate of Hilliard Bradley High School and Purdue University. His assignments during seminary have included the Perry County Consortium, St. John the Baptist Parish (Danville St. Luke and Mount Vernon St. Vincent de Paul), St. Paul, Newark St. Francis de Sales and Sunbury St. John Neumann churches. He served at Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School for a school year and spent summers assisting at Holy Family Soup Kitchen and with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in New York. His first Mass is set for 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18 at Our Lady of Victory Church, 1559 Roxbury Road.
Deacon Rolwing, 27, is from New Albany Church of the Resurrection and a graduate of New Albany High School. He has served in assignments at Columbus St. Cecilia, Zoar Church of the Holy Trinity, Dover St. Joseph, Columbus Christ the King, Marion St. Mary and Cardington Sacred Hearts churches. A first Mass is planned for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18 at Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E. Dublin-Granville Road.
Deacon Severance, 29, is from Columbus Holy Family Church and a graduate of Columbus Bishop Watterson High School and the College of Wooster. His assignments have included Columbus Our Lady of Peace Church, Zanesville St. Nicholas and St. Thomas Aquinas churches and two summer Hispanic ministry immersions – one in Columbus and another in Mexico City. He will celebrate a first Mass at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 18 at Holy Family Church, 584 W. Broad Street.
Individuals interested in attending the candidates’ ordination Mass on May 17 are encouraged to RSVP to the diocesan Office of Vocations at 614-221-5565 or email Vocations@ColumbusCatholic.org. For information on vocations, visit www.ColumbusCatholic.org/Vocations.