STEUBENVILLE – An Ohio native and a Pennsylvania resident who adopted the Buckeye State as his home have been ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Steubenville by diocesan Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton.

Father Matthew W.J. Gossett and Father Ryan B. Gray were ordained during a May 20 Mass at St. Peter Church.

Diocese of Steubenville Bishop Emeritus Gilbert I. Sheldon, diocesan priests, active and retired from active parish ministry, families and friends of Fathers Gossett and Gray were among those who filled the church in downtown Steubenville.

Father Gossett, 30, is the son of David and Loretta Campbell Gossett of Steubenville. He attended All Saints Central School, Steubenville, and graduated from Catholic Central High School, Steubenville, in 2004. Father Gossett studied music education at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio, from which he received a degree in 2008. He continued his education at Kent State University Kent, Ohio, where he obtained a master’s in music in 2010.

While in graduate school, he began work with campus ministry, went on a mission trip to El Salvador with others from the Kent State Newman Center and spent a summer in Germany, where he toured with a band in that country and Italy. During his second year of graduate school, he made a second mission trip to El Salvador, after which he began study for the priesthood at St. Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Father Gossett graduated from St. Vincent Seminary May 6 with Master of Divinity (cum laude) and Master of Arts in Systemic Theology (magna cum laude) degrees. He, also, received two awards at the commencement. One was the Diakonia Award, given to the student nominated by the entire seminary community, and chosen by the faculty. It honors a graduate who exhibits praiseworthy academic performance, as well as service to the seminary community through building student morale and spirit, exercising leadership within the community and demonstrating creative outreach to others. While in the seminary, he began ministry as a chaplain with sports teams at St. Vincent College, attached to St. Vincent Seminary. He prayed with the team members, ate with them, went to their practices, attended their games. He was awarded the Omer U. Kline, Benedictine, Excellence in Preaching Award, given by the Rector’s Council to the fourth-year student who has most clearly demonstrated excellence in preaching during his fourth year of study.

Father Gossett’s older brother, Michael, also is a priest for the Diocese of Steubenville.

The newly ordained Father Gossett has been assigned as parochial vicar to Father David L. Huffman, pastor of the Catholic community in Lawrence County.

Father Gray was born Aug. 16, 1985, in Erie, Pennsylvania, the youngest of the five children of Gary E. and C. Eileen Gray.

In Pennsylvania, he attended a Catholic grade school, St. Gregory, and a public high school, North East, from which he graduated in 2004.

After graduation from high school, Father Gray became a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville and for the first time considered a vocation to the priesthood. Franciscan University has a great environment for a person to grow in his faith, Father Gray said.

Father Gray entered the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, after his 2010 graduation from Franciscan University. In 2012, he received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the Josephinum.

While studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Steubenville, Father Gray served in parishes in St. Clairsville St. Mary and Marietta the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption.

At the 117th commencement exercises at the Josephinum May 14, Father Gray was awarded Bachelor of Sacred Theology and Master of Divinity degrees.

Father Gray has been assigned by Bishop Monforton as parochial vicar to Father Thomas R. Nau, pastor of Triumph of the Cross Parish, Steubenville, and rector of Holy Name Cathedral, Steubenville.