Testimonials:

A seminarian for the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin, Isaiah Schick wanted to ensure he had a solid Catholic education and decided…
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To Maura Goodwin ’15, music is a way to transform hearts and bring others to the beauty of God, and she now has the opportunity to make that the focus of her energy.“I experience God through the beauty we sing at Mass,” Goodwin said, “and music ministry is a way of serving God and his Church while striving for excellence.”With a triple degree in theology, catechetics, and sacred music from Franciscan University, Goodwin is the associate director of Music at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, New York. In addition to playing the organ, she oversees the Senior Girls’ Choir, Junior Girls’ Choir, and Children’s Choir. She stays busy with weekly rehearsals, but said she loves working with children and helping them grow in their talents and faith.

Ashley Bennett is the director of School Ministry at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School. She coordinates sacramental ministries, including Masses and school retreats, builds community within the student body, and teaches theology classes to freshmen.

No one can say senior political science major Alexei Woltornist doesn’t come by his conservative political philosophy honestly.The grandson of not one, but two Russian immigrants who separately fled the Soviet Union in the 1940s, the New Jersey native grew up hearing tales of the trials his grandparents and great-grandparents endured under the Communist regime, and of their near escapes from Stalin’s secret police.

Dr. Mark K. Spencer ’07, MA ’08, didn’t just leave Franciscan University of Steubenville with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and theology and a master’s degree in philosophy. He also left with the strong philosophical foundation he needed to bolster his four years of doctoral studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo, which led him to his dream job: philosophy professor at a medium-sized Catholic university.

As a Franciscan University Graduate, a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army, and a worldwide traveler, Andrew Matwijec is living out the goals he set for himself early in life.Andrew graduated in 2010 with degrees in theology and philosophy, and a minor in German. He was a member of Franciscan’s inaugural Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) class as well. An accomplished guitarist and vocalist, he also led a Chapel Ministry music team for four years.

Stephen Lenahan, a 2009 theology and catechetics graduate says that since graduation he’s done many things he never would have expected. He also says he’s OK with that because Franciscan prepared him to be constantly learning.“Just because you receive your degree doesn’t mean your education stops,” says Stephen. “You’re always finding new ways to be involved in your community and learning from your co-workers, your family, friends, and Church.”

“When you go through seven years of seminary, you think you know what the priesthood is, but there are so many graced moments I never expected. It’s so unique, so hard to explain: sharing birth, death, joy, sadness with people. It’s rich and rewarding. You don’t feel worthy to be in those situations. It’s a privileged position to be a diocesan priest.”Ordained in 2010, Father Joe Kim is clearly happy in his vocation, but very busy. He has many responsibilities as a parochical vicar of Holy Spirit Parish in a large, multicultural parish in San Jose, California.

Since high school, Sarah Houde knew she wanted to help rebuild the Church from within—to evangelize those sitting next to her each week in the pews. At the same time, she loved coordinating trips and planning event details.“I would tell people that my dream job was to either coordinate the Steubenville conferences or Life Teen events,” the 2009 Franciscan University graduate remembers. “Little did I know that 10 years later God would provide me the amazing opportunity to do both!”