Graduation 2026

Friday, May 8, 2026
Saint Joseph Abbey Church
5 p.m. CDT

2026 Commencement Speaker

Very Rev. Jamin S. David, J.C.L., V.G.

The Very Reverend Jamin David is a priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and currently serves as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.  He was ordained in 2008 after receiving his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and philosophy from Saint Joseph Seminary College in 2004 and his Master of Divinity from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans in 2008.  He is a canon lawyer, graduating in 2011 with his J.C.L. from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. 

In addition to a variety of pastoral responsibilities through the years, such as serving as pastor of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland in Albany for eleven years, Father David’s experience, especially in terms of ecclesiastical administration, is expansive.  He currently serves as Secretary for Administration in his home diocese, as a canonical expert both at home and in dioceses throughout the United States, as a spiritual director at both provincial seminaries, and as a chaplain to organizations such as the Louisiana Knights of Columbus and the Louisiana Ladies Auxiliary Association.  He is dedicated to higher education, serving Saint Joseph Seminary College on its Board of Trustees, while also serving as a trustee and faculty member at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) in Baton Rouge.  He continues to exercise his canonical expertise, serving the Canon Law Society of America in many ways, including on its Board of Governors or in giving major addresses at their annual convention.

Class of 1964 Father Paul Miranne Service Award

The annual Fr. Paul Miranne Service Award in honor of the Alumni Class of 1964 is to honor a graduate who embodies the sentiments of the ancient dictum Esse Quam Videri: to be rather than seem to be. 

The award, which consists of a monetary prize of $1,000, is presented to a graduate who, during his years at Saint Joseph Seminary College, has performed quiet service, without publicity or fanfare. 

This year’s award recipient will be announced during the commencement ceremony.

Previous Fr. Paul Miranne Service Award Winners are:

• 2025 Adolfo Sanchez-Duran, Diocese of Brownsville

• 2024 Hilario Martinez, Diocese of Dallas

• 2023 Haden Colemen, Diocese of Lafayette

• 2022 Angel Crespo, Diocese of El Paso

• 2021 Carlos Jamie, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

• 2019 David Ergivi Ramirez, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

• 2018 William Cade LeBlanc, Diocese of Lafayette

• 2017 Charles Andrew Silvas, Diocese of Corpus Christi

• 2016 Matthew Thomas Dunn, Diocese of Baton Rouge