Concordia Seminary, St. Louis will bring its 183rd academic year to a close Friday, May 20, with Commencement exercises for the 2022 graduating class.

The day will begin with the annual Theological Diploma Service at 10 a.m. (CDT) in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the Seminary’s campus. All graduating students who are eligible to receive a call as a pastor or deaconess in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) will receive theological diplomas. Provost Dr. Douglas L. Rutt will deliver the sermon.

Academic degrees and honors will be presented during the Commencement ceremony, which will take place at 7 p.m. (CDT) in the Seminary’s Main Quadrangle. Dr. Patrick T. Ferry, president emeritus of Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, and Ann Arbor, Mich., will offer the Commencement address. Six special awards will be given during Commencement:

• Christus Vivit Award: Renée Ellen Gibbs of St. Louis
• Distinguished Alumnus: Rev. Eloy S. González of Mission, Texas
• Honorary Doctor of Divinity: Dr. Patrick T. Ferry of Leander, Texas
• Honorary Doctor of Laws: Dr. Erní W. Seibert of São Paulo, Brazil
• Honorary Doctor of Letters: Dr. Joseph Herl of Seward, Neb.
• Honorary Doctor of Letters: Urara Masaki of Kobe, Japan

To read biographies of the honorees, visit csl.edu/commencement.

This year’s graduates will join more than 7,000 called leaders of the LCMS around the world and more than 13,000 individuals who have received degrees from Concordia Seminary in the school’s 183-year history.

Both events will be held in-person. Those who are unable to attend are invited to watch the Commencement exercises at csl.edu/live or on the Seminary’s YouTube channel.

Everyone is encouraged to share their celebratory comments and photos with the hashtags #CSLGrad2022 and #ThyWordIsALamp on social media.

The livestream for the Theological Diploma Service will begin at 9:45 a.m. (CDT) and at 6:45 p.m. (CDT) for the Commencement ceremony May 20. In the event of rain, Commencement will be moved indoors to the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus.

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.