James Ryan Joseph and Sean-Michael Vincent Nypaver will be ordained to the transitional diaconate April 15 at St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax, taking them one step closer to ordination to the priesthood next year. Read their bios below.
James Joseph was born Jan. 13, 1992, in Allentown, Pa., to Jim and Debbie Joseph. He has one sister. He attended Parkland High School in Allentown (2006-10) and William and Mary in Williamsburg (2010-13), where he earned a bachelor’s in government and religious studies. He graduated from the University of Dayton in Ohio in 2016 with a master’s in theological studies. He attends seminary at St. Charles Borromeo in Wynnewood, Pa.
What brought you to seminary? I am a convert to the Catholic faith, and God has been leading me on a journey for a long time. I entered the church by studying history and the Mass; and being led more deeply into understanding and loving those two eventually led me to a great desire for the priesthood.
What are you looking forward to about being a deacon? I am most looking forward to doing those blessings I can do as a deacon, and even more as a priest, God-willing. These are little ways we can bring God into our daily lives and let his presence touch everything.
What is your favorite Bible quote? “I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him: and I will not let him go.” (Song of Songs 3:4)
What’s been your favorite part of seminary so far? The best part of being in the seminary in my view is the friendships a seminarian makes with the men he gets to call brothers. These are some of the deepest friendships of our lives, in which we can talk about joys and sorrows, ask for advice, or simply share things we enjoy with one another. Any man thinking about the priesthood should know the great blessing and joy getting to know the other guys in the seminary will be. This and the other experiences of the seminary, even if you do not end up staying, will change your life for the better.
Family fun fact? I have a 5x great-grandfather on my mother’s side named Rev. James Francis Armstrong who was a Presbyterian chaplain in the American Revolution. He knew George Washington, and when the new president passed through Trenton, N.J., on the way to his inauguration, he organized the reception. He even rode with him a little way to the next town.
Sean-Michael Nypaver, who is assigned to St. Timothy in Chantilly, was born Dec. 4, 1994, in Pittsburgh, to Tom and Carol Nypaver. He has four brothers and four sisters. He was homeschooled through high school and attended Duquesne University, graduating in 2016 with a bachelor’s in music technology. He attends Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.
What brought you to seminary? My love for music, the upbringing my parents gave me and a desire to do God’s will for my life.
What are your hobbies? I love to play the guitar. I also enjoy basketball, hiking and riding my bike.
What’s been your favorite part of seminary so far? The friendships I have made, and the opportunity to spend lots of time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
What have you been doing to prepare for diaconate ordination? To prepare for diaconate ordination, I have been entering the mystery of the season of Lent, meditating on how Christ came to serve, and not to be served, and to give his life as a ransom for many. I have also been praying for the people I will be serving at my first assignment.
My first three oldest siblings were born in northern Virginia because my dad had a job there. When he moved back to Pittsburgh (which is where he and my mom are both from) the other six of us were born. Family fun fact? My dad was the first computer animator ever in Pittsburgh, and he did many “Jumbotron” animations for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers. His most famous creations were the beloved Pittsburgh Pierogies, who for years would race on the big screen at every Pirates baseball game.
Watch the livestream
To watch the ordination online, go to bit.ly/3M6jtxC.
