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The Pontifical College Josephinum is honored to announce the recipients of its Good Shepherd: Defending the Truth Award and Pope Leo XIII Award – the two highest honors it bestows annually upon members of the clergy and the lay faithful.

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The awards will be presented at the Good Shepherd Dinner held at the Josephinum on April 17, 2023. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus and Josephinum Vice-Chancellor, will give the keynote address.

 

This year’s Good Shepherd: Defending the Truth Award recipient is Reverend Jeffrey Rimelspach, a 1979 alumnus of the Josephinum’s College. Ordained in 1985 for the Diocese of Columbus, Father Rimelspach has served at many parishes during his years of ministry: Saint Mary, Marion; Saint Agatha; Saint Mary, Bremen; Saint Joan of Arc, Powell; and Saint Margaret of Cortona, where he has been pastor since 2009.

 

Our honoree taught religion at Marion Catholic High School, served as chaplain at Fisher Catholic High School, Lancaster, and served for ten years as an Associate Judge for the Columbus Tribunal. He has been a member of the Diocesan Pension Administration Committee since 2005 and Chaplain to the Serra Club of North Columbus since 1999.

 

From 2013-2022, Father Rimelspach served nine years on the Josephinum’s Board of Trustees, the longest tenure it allows for members. The seminary’s alumni committee has benefitted from his insight for a number of years. As a pastor, he has enjoyed working with many Josephinum seminarians assigned to his parishes for pastoral assignments at various stages of their formation.

 

First conferred in 2009, the annual Good Shepherd Award is presented to a member of the clergy who exemplifies in his life and ministry the qualities of a good shepherd, especially in the promotion of vocations and in support of the Josephinum and its seminarians. The conception of this award considers how Jesus Christ, as the Good Shepherd, exhorted the apostles to lay down their lives for the sake of love (cf. Jn 15:12f).

 

“Father Rimelspach exemplifies in a most profound way the concept of this award,” said Very Reverend Steven Beseau, Josephinum Rector/President. “His decades of service throughout the diocese in so many vital roles – combined with his Josephinum Board membership, Serra Club chaplaincy, and personal work with our seminarians at his parishes – evidence a life lived as a good and faithful shepherd of souls.”

 

Ms. Ginger West, a Columbus native and member of Saint Patrick Parish in downtown Columbus, is the 2023 Pope Leo XIII Award recipient. Named for the pontiff who granted the Josephinum pontifical status in 1892, the annual award is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her support for the Church, the priesthood, vocations, and the Josephinum.

 

Ms. West has been connected to the Josephinum since her first visit to the seminary with her family in 1949. A frequent visitor to campus through the years, she has befriended countless seminarians and has attended priestly ordinations in more than a dozen dioceses across the country.

 

She is a longtime member of the Serra Club of North Columbus – having served for many years as Vice President of Programs and as District Governor – and of the Friends of the Josephinum as a member at large and of the Executive Board.

 

“Ms. West has a passion for the faith that permeates her own life and inspires those around her,” said Father Beseau. “She is a person of deep commitment, a tireless advocate for the priesthood and vocations, and a model of faith put into action, all of which make her most deserving of the Pope Leo XIII Award.”

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The Good Shepherd Dinner is the Josephinum’s signature fundraising event; proceeds support the seminary’s programs for the young men discerning a priestly vocation. Funds are raised through a variety of sponsorship and underwriting opportunities, all of which are available to individuals, parishes, dioceses, organizations, and companies.

 

“This success of the Good Shepherd Dinner is realized by our generous sponsors, and by the stewardship of those who attend,” said Father Beseau. “We look forward to another successful event this spring, raising much-needed support for the seminary’s mission to form holy, generous, adaptable, and resilient priests for the 21st century."

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Many sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available to congratulate these honorees and support the Josephinum's mission!

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