BRIGHTON — Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley conferred Masters of Arts in Ministry degrees on 11 graduates from the program at St. John’s Seminary on May 24. The graduates were Shannon Lee Basler; Nicole Alves Belanger; Brother Samuel T. Gunn, BH; Cynthia K. Harrington; Joseph Lero; Dorthy E. Parker; Philomène Péan; Elizabeth Piro; Jean Edouard Pouliot; Michelle Trosset; and Jaymie Stuart Wolfe who was the commencement student speaker.

Aldona Lingertat, the program’s associate director, said each graduating class has its own personality and this was the class of “big, beautiful smiles.”

“I truly believe that each of them feel deep joy in being called by God to work in the vineyard,” she said.

According to Lingertat, Cardinal O’Malley spoke to the fifth graduating class about the importance of their ministry, building on comments from the guest speaker Francis X. Hogan, a lawyer and member of the Pontifical Academy for Life since 1996.

“He spoke about the need for lay ministers,” she said. “Fran had spoken about the springtime of the Church, there’s such hope for the Church. He seconded that and said, ‘All of you are part of the hope for the Church.’”

The Masters of Arts in Ministry program began in 2000 with 28 students. The program is held in the evenings and includes 14 classes, field education and human and spiritual formation. Most students complete the program in three or four years.

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