Commencement exercises for the Concordia Seminary, St. Louis 2024 graduating class will take place Friday, May 17.

The day’s events begin at 10 a.m. (CDT) with the Theological Diploma Service in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the Seminary’s campus. Theological diplomas will be presented at this service to all graduating students eligible to receive a call as a pastor or deaconess in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). Rev. W. Max Mons, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel and University Center in Iowa City, Iowa, and chairman of the Seminary’s Board of Regents, will deliver the sermon.

Commencement will take place at 7 p.m. (CDT) outdoors in the Seminary’s Main Quadrangle. Academic degrees and honors will be presented during this ceremony. Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, executive director of the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations, will deliver the Commencement address.

Five special honors also will be awarded:

• Christus Vivit Award: Dr. Allan and Carol Buckman     
• Honorary Doctor of Laws: Director of Christian Education Mark Kempff
• Distinguished Alumnus Award: Dr. Joel Lehenbauer
• Honorary Doctor of Letters: Dr. Darius Petkūnas
• Honorary Doctor of Divinity: Rev. James Wiggins Sr.

This year’s graduates will be joining more than 7,000 called leaders of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod around the world and more than 13,000 individuals who have received degrees from Concordia Seminary in the school’s 185-year history.

The livestream for the Theological Diploma Service will begin at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) and for the Commencement ceremony at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) at csl.edu/live.

Everyone is encouraged to share celebratory comments and photos with the hashtags #CSLGrad2024 and #WeBelongToChrist on social media.

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.