When Bishop Earl Fernandes arrived in the diocese in 2022, there were no ordinations to the priesthood that year. In 2023, he ordained one priest. This year, that number grows to five.

Bishop Fernandes will ordain Deacons Tyler Carter, Michael Haemmerle, Jason Fox, David Johnstone and Daniel Colby to the sacred priesthood at a 10 a.m. Mass on Saturday, May 18 at Columbus St. Andrew Church, 1899 McCoy Road.

The ordination is taking place at St. Andrew instead of Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral to accommodate a large turnout expected to witness the momentous event for the diocese. The Mass is open to anyone who would like to attend.

Light refreshments will be served immediately after the Mass in Nugent Hall beneath the church.

Ordinations to the priesthood and diaconate, which normally take place in May at the end of the seminary academic year, have been moved from the Cathedral in the past.

In 2018 and 2021, priestly ordinations took place at Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church. This year’s ordination of three seminarians to the transitional diaconate was held in March at the Lancaster Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption.

This year’s five candidates for the priesthood make up the largest class of seminarians for the diocese since there were also five in 2018.

Carter, Haemmerle, Johnstone and Colby have spent their final year of studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum in north Columbus and Fox has studied at the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.


Deacon Carter, 27, is from Columbus St. Patrick Church and a graduate of Columbus Bishop Watterson High School. His assignments during seminary have included Newark St. Francis de Sales, Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, Mount Vernon St. Vincent de Paul, Danville St. Luke, Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church, Groveport St. Mary and Canal Winchester St. John XXIII churches. His first Mass will be celebrated at noon Sunday, May 19 at St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant Ave.


Deacon Haemmerle, 29, is from Columbus St. Patrick Church and was homeschooled through high school before earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University. His assignments have included Columbus St. Andrew, Columbus Holy Family, Chillicothe St. Peter, Hilliard St. Brendan the Navigator, Perry County Consortium and Zanesville St. Nicholas and St. Thomas Aquinas churches. He will celebrate a first Mass at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at St. Patrick Church.


Deacon Fox, 50, is from Powell St. Joan of Arc Church and a graduate of Sylvania Southview High School in the Toledo area. He has served in assignments at Scioto Catholic in the Portsmouth area, Westerville St. Paul the Apostle, Columbus Christ the King and St. Veronica Parish in Burlington, Massachusetts. His first Mass will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at St. Joan of Arc Church, 10700 Liberty Road South.


Deacon Johnstone, 38, is from Marysville Our Lady of Lourdes Church and a graduate of Marysville High School and Ohio Wesleyan University. His assignments have included Westerville St. Paul the Apostle, Mount Vernon St. Vincent de Paul, Danville St. Luke, Wheelersburg St. Peter in Chains, Portsmouth St. Mary of the Annunciation, Holy Trinity and Holy Redeemer, the former New Boston St. Monica, Basilica of Regina Pacis in Brooklyn, New York, Chillicothe St. Mary and St. Peter, Waverly St. Mary, Gahanna St. Matthew and Columbus Our Lady of Peace churches. A first Mass is planned for 5 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1033 W. 5th St.


Deacon Colby, 33, is from Columbus Immaculate Conception Church and a native of Raleigh, North Carolina who is a Virginia Tech University graduate. His assignments during seminary have included Zanesville St. Thomas Aquinas, Columbus St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus St. Aloysius, Columbus St. Agnes, Marion St. Mary, Cardington Sacred Hearts, Mount Vernon St. Paul, Danville St. Luke and Delaware St. Mary while also participating in a summer Hispanic ministry immersion. His first Mass is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at Immaculate Conception Church, 414 E. North Broadway.


For information on vocations, visit www.columbuscatholic.org/vocations.