Holy Cross Awards 669 Bachelor of Arts Degrees During Commencement ExercisesNoted humanitarian Kevin Cahill addresses graduates Under brilliant blue skies and light spring winds, the members of the Holy Cross Class of 2008 were reminded of their accomplishments — and their responsibilities going forward. Dr. Kevin M. Cahill, principal speaker at the College’s 162nd Commencement Exercises held on Fitton Field on the campus May 23, challenged graduates to use their Jesuit education in finding their own ways to alleviate suffering in the world and in their own backyards. A total of 669 men and women were awarded bachelor of arts degrees in front of an estimated 6,000 people — family and friends of the graduates, Holy Cross faculty, administrators and staff, as well as honored guests such as Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, bishop of the Diocese of Worcester. “Silence and isolation are not viable options,” said the noted humanitarian and physician, who has worked in war zones and refugee camps around the world during his 45-year career. “In this era of instant communications, your Jesuit education, and your own moral values, make it impossible for you to hide from massive sufferings.” The point, he said, was to find one’s own path, and to remember the early Jesuit missionaries who saw no boundaries in their vocation, who refused to accept any limitations imposed by the restrictive customs of the era. “Maybe it will be in teaching your own children about the reality that faces others of a similar age in less fortunate lands, out there in that harsh world that is getting closer all the time. Maybe you will contribute in a soup kitchen, coaching on a ball field, helping another on the job, or assisting aging parents. Maybe prayer, or some form of art, will be your chosen vehicle.” Recognizing how many Holy Cross graduates were actively engaged in some kind of significant community service during their College careers, Cahill said: “As most of you know from your own periods of community service, you are likely to find more understanding and consideration, and experience more growth, on those harsh frontiers than in the refined, protected environments of the establishment.” “I have been caught behind the lines in armed conflicts, and seen senseless slaughter from Beirut to Managua, and all across the scarred landscape of modern Africa,” he said. “Somehow in the twisted wreckage of war, and in the squalor of refugee camps, the incredible beauty of humanity prevailed for me, as it does for most of those privileged to work in humanitarian assistance. It is that perspective that sustains us on what otherwise might seem like a journey through hell on earth.” In his valedictory address, James Michael Brennan, a double major in political science and Russian studies from North Smithfield, R.I., reflected on the four years he and his classmates have spent on Mount St. James. He emphasized that a liberal arts education will serve them well: “It is a grand beginning; it is a grand opening of our souls; it is the grand challenge to face our humanity.” In addition to delivering the commencement address, Cahill received an honorary degree. Honorary degrees were also conferred on David Anderson ’51, sports columnist for The New York Times and winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary; Rev. Robert Athickal, S.J., founder of India’s Tarumitra (Hindi for “Friends of the Trees”), a student environmental movement; Donald P. Moriarty ’52, former member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees and longtime head of its investment committee and a philanthropist with wide-ranging interests; and James A. Welu, an acclaimed scholar of 17th-century Dutch art and director of the Worcester Art Museum. • Commencement 2008 |
May 23, 2008|nm