Catholics Honored at Newman Guide College Commencement Ceremonies
Award-winning writers, faithful clergy and philanthropic businessmen and women are among the commencement speakers at faithful Catholic colleges this year.
Colleges recognized in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College by The Cardinal Newman Society are choosing to reinforce their strong commitment to Catholic education by honoring top leaders in the Church and strong role models for their students.
These colleges are acting in accord with the U.S. bishops’ 2004 document “Catholics in Political Life,” which instructs Catholic institutions to refrain from honoring public opponents of Church teaching.
“Catholic families can learn a lot about a college’s priorities by whom it chooses to honor,” said Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society. “The Newman Guide colleges continue to set a high standard for choosing commencement speakers and honorary degree recipients who exemplify Christian service to God and humanity.”
Select Honorees at Newman Guide Colleges
Daniel D’Aniello, co-founder and chairman of the Washington, D.C., asset management firm The Carlyle Group and a Catholic philanthropist, will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla., on May 6.
Archbishop William Lori of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, who has called the HHS mandate a “bloodless” attack on the religious freedom of Catholic educational institutions and other organizations, will address graduating students during the Baccalaureate Mass at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C. on May 13.
Kansas native and Catholic laywoman Clare Vanderpool, children’s author and winner of the Newbery Medal, will give the keynote address during the commencement exercises at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., on May 13.
Wall Street Journal columnist and Catholic laywoman Peggy Noonan, who won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her columns during the presidential campaign and was a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, will address graduates and receive an honorary degree at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., on May 13.
CUA will also bestow honorary degrees on Catholic philanthropists Joanne Conway and William Conway, Jr.; Joseph Patrick Riley Jr., a Catholic and former mayor of Charleston, S.C.; and Mario Paredes, CEO of Advocate Community Providers and a founder of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders.
Gerhard Cardinal Müller, prefect for of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree at Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., on May 13.
The Catherine of Siena Award, Christendom College’s highest honor, will be bestowed upon Mary Ellen Bork, Catholic writer and lecturer on issues affecting Catholic life and culture. She serves on the advisory boards of the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America and Christendom College.
The Hon. Joseph Leeson, a Catholic judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, will serve as the commencement speaker at the DeSales University graduation on May 20 in Center Valley, Pa. Leeson, an alumnus of DeSales and the CUA Columbus School of Law, represented the Diocese of Allentown before his judicial appointment.
Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh will preside over the Franciscan University of Steubenville Baccalaureate Mass and receive an honorary doctorate of Christian ethics on May 12 in Steubenville, Ohio.
Patrick Lencioni, Catholic founder of The Table Group and The Amazing Parish apostolate, will give the commencement address for Franciscan’s science graduates on May 13 and will receive an honorary doctorate.
Dr. Ryan Anderson, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, will speak at Franciscan University’s arts commencement ceremony and receive an honorary doctorate on May 13.
Catholic business leader Carolyn Everson, vice president of global marketing solutions at Facebook, will serve as the commencement speaker at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., on May 14.
Anna Halpine, a Catholic laywoman who founded the World Youth Alliance to uphold the dignity of human life at the United Nations, will serve as commencement speaker for the graduates of Northeast Catholic College in Warner, N.H., on May 6.
On May 6, Dr. Ralph Wood, professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, will deliver the commencement address at Saint Gregory’s University in Shawnee, Okla. A Baptist, Wood is a noted scholar of great Catholic authors including Tolkien, Chesterton, and Flannery O’Connor.
Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., will host Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, SV, superior general of the Sisters of Life, as commencement speaker on May 13.
On May 20, the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, N.H. will award an honorary degree to Catholic lay scholar Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society and co-founder of Chesterton Academy, a high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recognized for its excellence in the Newman Society’s Catholic Education Honor Roll.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the first African-American to preside over the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, will address the University of Dallas Class of 2017 in Irving, Tex., on May 14. He will receive an honorary degree.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis served as the commencement speaker for the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., on April 29.
The university also conferred an honorary degree upon Catholic layman George Ehlis, president and CFO of American Bancor Ltd. of Dickinson, N.D.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York will address graduates and receive an honorary degree at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tex., on May 20.
Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, was the keynote speaker and honorary degree recipient at the commencement exercises at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, on April 30.
Brother Charles Desjarlais, FIC, was honored with the Walsh University Founders’ Award during the ceremony for his service as a dedicated educator for more than 30 years in Canada, Japan and the Philippines.
Bishop Sabino Ocan Odoki of Arua, Uganda, celebrated the Baccalaureate Mass at Walsh University on April 29.
The commencement address at Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo., on May 12 will be given by Father Robert Sirico, president of The Acton Institute.
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