Fr. Joseph was born in rural Ohio. He graduated magna cum laude from Bowling Green State University in 1995 with a B.S. in Comprehensive Social Studies / Secondary Education with a minor in Political Science. He has additional undergraduate degrees in philosophy and theology and was ordained a Catholic priest in 2004. In 2007 he completed a licentiate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum College in Rome. After studying and working in Rome for five years, he currently serves as the novice director and teaches Introduction to Religious Life.