Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, will see 127 seniors graduate from its 45th class when it holds its commencement ceremonies May 10-11.
Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, where the college is located, will celebrate a baccalaureate Mass for graduates and families, the second of two annual visits he makes to the campus. Professor Tracey Rowland, the St. John Paul II chair of theology for the University of Notre Dame in Australia, will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, will also be on hand to receive the college’s Pro Deo et Patria Award.
Amanda Graf, acting executive vice president at Christendom, also lauded the Class of 2024 for its COVID-19 restriction resiliency and noted that the cohort had “shown a tremendous amount of joy, creativity, intellectual curiosity, and academic ability. They have grown into a tight-knit class, finding ways to encourage each other’s growth in the academics, sports, clubs, and the spiritual life.”
Zach Smith, Christendom’s director of communications, said the school has offered students an important Catholic formation that will lead them to future success: “Here, students are able to learn the truth, live the faith, and thrive as Catholics.”
More in US
First Catholic college in South Carolina to open in fall 2024
Read article
Personal growth
Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) will graduate 108 students: 78 at its Santa Paula, California, campus May 11 and 30 at its relatively new Northfield, Massachusetts, campus May 18.
O. Carter Snead, a University of Notre Dame professor of law, will serve as keynote speaker, and Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Slawomir Szkredka will celebrate the baccalaureate Mass in California; Cardinal Raymond Burke will offer the baccalaureate Mass and serve as keynote speaker in Massachusetts.
Stephen Shivone, assistant dean for student affairs on the New England campus, praised TAC’s Class of 2024, noting that “they have been marked by the extraordinary dedication and lively seriousness with which they have pursued the intellectual life laid out by our program. I don’t think they’ve ever had a dull discussion or quiet class. Like this campus’ first two graduating classes, they have courageously pioneered the founding of this campus and have worthily perpetuated the life and traditions they have inherited.”
Senior Andrew Grumbine, student speaker for the California class, observed: “I’m leaving TAC more confident, more selfless, more charitable, and more understanding — in short, happier — than I was before. That’s not a coincidence; rather, I’d say that being so surrounded by truth, goodness, and beauty in the academic program and the people here is a major reason for that change. How could it not be?”
Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee, is among the smaller Catholic colleges, graduating 10 as it held its baccalaureate Mass, celebrated by Nashville Bishop Mark Spalding, and commencement on May 2. Five are undergraduates and five are master’s students; five are Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, and five are lay students.
All five sisters and three of the lay students will use their degrees to teach. Additionally, eight seminarians from the Diocese of Nashville have completed the school’s one-year Certificate in Propaedeutic Studies program.
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Dominican Sister Cecilia Anne Wanner, Aquinas’ president, referred to the graduates as “exemplars of dedication and excellence” and celebrated their “commitment to teacher education, spending countless hours in classrooms, developing their professional skills and inspiring both educators and students alike. Their strong sense of community, characterized by shared prayer, fellowship, and mutual support, serves as a testament to the transformative bonds forged during these past few years of study.”
Among the graduates is Dominican Sister Laura Immaculata Clarke, who is looking forward to teaching.
“The subject we teach, our successes, and even our students’ successes are not the goal,” she said. “Relationship with Christ is our goal, and so we are prepared to teach Christ, formed to witness to Christ and brought to deep encounter with Christ during our time at Aquinas.”
Record graduation class
Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio will graduate its largest-ever class of 896. Its commencement ceremonies will be May 10-11, with Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, celebrating a baccalaureate Mass and being honored for his work as an evangelist and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito serving as the keynote speaker.
Ann Dulany, Franciscan’s dean of academic advising, praised the Class of 2024 as one of diverse talents, comprised of graduates who “love the Lord, seek to grow in their faith, and want to make a difference in the world and the Church.”
`; } (function() { const most_read_url = '/most-read-api'; var historyList = document.getElementById('mostread-YRdXAatuKc'); fetch(most_read_url).then((result) => { var json_result = result.json(); json_result.then((data) => { data.forEach((item, i) => { var html = render(i, item.url, item.title); historyList.innerHTML += html; if ((i + 1) >= 5) { return false; } }); }); }).catch((err) => { console.error(err); }); })();
