It is graduation season in the nation once again and as is customary a whole host of celebrities, authors and politicians are invited to deliver commencement addresses to the graduating classes.
At Harvard, the ivy leaguers are to hear words of wisdom from Oprah Winfrey while at Northwestern, graduates are to be marveled by the world famous ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov. The class of 2013 at the University of Virginia is to laugh it up as comedian Steven Colbert delivers the commencement address. While this small sampling of speakers appears to be without controversy, this is not true at every college campus.
At the Benedictine College, a small Catholic college in northeastern Kansas, the appearance of Catholic, pro-life U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan caused a stir among the liberal faculty and alumni because of his work on the federal budget. Ryan has shared that he continues to apply principles of Catholic Social Thought in his public policy decisions.
Of course, such protests by the liberal Catholic community were rather muted at Santa Clara University, as the Catholic college in Southern California allows former U.S. Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta, a Catholic, to address the class of 2013. Panetta, a former congressman and chief of staff in the Clinton Administration, is an outspoken supporter of abortion and was the co-sponsor of the anti-life Freedom of Choice Act. Also during his years in the Obama Administration he served as a champion of immoral drone attacks that result in the killing of innocent civilians. Sadly, this choice of a commencement speaker does little to inspire Catholic values in young, collegiate minds.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Sean O’Malley delivered his own commencement address on truth by courageously and rightly deciding to boycott Boston College’s commencement exercise in protest of the appearance by pro-abortion and anti-Catholic Prime Minister of Ireland, Enda Kenny.
It seems the never-ending attempt by many secular colleges and universities to reduce the commencement exercises to nothing more than an occasion for a celebrity photo op or to simply curry favor with the political establishment continues to be adopted by far too many Catholic colleges. Rather than occasions to impart Catholic truth, wisdom and faith, many Catholic colleges choose to make the commencement address a time to grab a headline or secure some “star power.” (Locally, Providence College has acted as true trailblazer among Catholic institutions of higher learning, as they have invited noted theologian, author and evangelist Father Robert Barron from Chicago to inspire the graduates at this weekend’s commencement exercises.)
In an age when moral truth is quickly eclipsed by moral relativism, even on Catholic college campuses, Providence College is to be commended for their choice of speaker and for staying faithful to their own motto, “Veritas” (truth). We hope it is a lesson and example that the administrations of Boston College, Santa Clara University and many more Catholic colleges might someday learn.
