BELMONT — May has been a historic month for St. Joseph College Seminary: Its long-awaited permanent home is finally finished, and its latest five graduates are heading to major seminaries this fall.
The college seminarians and their formators moved furniture and boxes into the nearly 30,000-square-foot Gothic-styled building last week. The building includes a chapel, classroom, conference rooms, four faculty suites, a kitchen and refectory (cafeteria), faculty offices and a guest room for speakers and visiting priests. It also includes 40 dorm rooms or “cells” for the growing number of college seminarians.
During the 2019-’20 academic year, the college seminarians lived spread out across four temporary homes in and around St. Ann Church in Charlotte and they commuted to Belmont Abbey College for classes during the week. Going forward, they will be living under one roof, only minutes from the college campus in Belmont.
St. Joseph College Seminary has been a magnet for young men wanting to discern the priesthood since its founding in 2016. Enrollment growth has been faster than the diocese had anticipated, from eight students in its first year to 26 this academic year. The Class of 2020 is the largest graduating class in the college seminary’s four-year history.
Graduates this year include: Matthew Dimock Jr. of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte; Christian Goduti of St. Mark Church in Huntersville; Matthew Harrison of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury; and Kevin Martinez and Jose Palma, both of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro.
Dimock, Martinez and Palma will continue their studies at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Goduti and Harrison will study at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
Father Matthew Kauth, rector of the college seminary, celebrated Mass for the five graduates on May 13 at St. Ann Church in Charlotte, joined by Father John Putnam, Father Jason Barone,
Father Matthew Buettner and Father Timothy Reid. After Mass, the St. Joseph College seminarians and their formators celebrated the accomplishments of the five graduates who each received, as a rite of passage, a newly blessed “Roman” cassock to replace the “house” cassock of the college seminary.
On May 16, the five young men participated in Belmont Abbey College’s virtual commencement exercises.
“I am incredibly grateful to God,” Father Kauth said. This year marked the graduation of the college seminary’s last inaugural “Alpha class” members, and some of its “Bravo class” members.
“It is quite fitting, as we began with that (first) class at St. Ann and we leave St. Ann and begin a new chapter, all leaving together,” he said. “I cannot imagine having a finer first class of men.”
The building may be largely complete yet campaign fundraising continues, with $14.5 million of the $20 million raised so far. For information about the capital campaign, go to www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org or contact Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development, at 704-370-3301 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Public celebrations to open the college seminary’s new home will be held after public health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Pictured: St. Joseph College Seminary graduates, pictured with Father Matthew Kauth, rector, are (from left) seminarians Matthew Harrison, Kevin Martinez, Christian Goduti, Jose Palma and Matthew Dimock Jr. Also pictured are (far right) Father Jason Christian, college seminary academic dean, and Father Matthew Buettner, house spiritual director. (Photo provided by St. Joseph College Seminar)
In their own words
At www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org: Learn more about St. Joseph College Seminary and check out what the five Class of 2020 graduates have to say.