91ÊÓƵ

(Remarks as prepared)

Dean Hildreth, Provost McGreevy, family and friends, thank you for being here today.

Graduates, congratulations — your years of study and hard work and dedication have brought you to this day.

It does not seem that long ago that I was completing my graduate studies.

From personal experience, I know that the journey of a graduate student can be filled with ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations: periods of clarity and of doubt, moments of insight and of murkiness.

But, here you are. Your persistence and hard work have brought you to this moment. However, you know you have not done it alone. And, if you’re like me, you know you could not have done it alone.

You could not have done it without the support of the people who love you … who believed in you … who encouraged and challenged you … who pushed you to dig deeper, become more focused, or adopt a more expansive way of thinking.

(Even though their names will not be on your diploma, you know they share in this accomplishment.)

So, to all the parents, siblings, spouses, friends, relatives, teachers and mentors: Thank you. Congratulations.

(Graduates, let’s applaud your families and loved ones, together.)

Class of 2025, as students and scholars, your contributions to your fields and disciplines have been meaningful — and will surely continue.

And your contributions to Notre Dame — this University, and our learning community — have been equally significant.

Thanks to the work of so many — including my predecessor, Father John Jenkins, our incredible faculty and administrators, and all of you — the strength of our research programs has propelled our University to new heights, among the top research institutions in North America. In fact, in the years since many of you arrived, that recognition has only grown. [Perhaps in this case, correlation can indeed be considered causation.]

In your time with us, you have contributed to important breakthroughs … enriched our campus community … and, in many cases, built bridges across disciplines, embodying the unity of truth and knowledge in how you live and work together.

We are so grateful for what you have given here … and so proud to call you our graduates.

To those of you embarking on a career devoted to research, scholarship and discovery: Know that your work is more important than ever. It is key if our world is to become healthier, more humane, more secure, more peaceful and more just.

For as graduates, and members of the Notre Dame family, we are called to be a force for good in the world.

So beyond your chosen fields and this campus, we also look forward to your contributions to the world.

How you will bring the expertise, knowledge and skills you’ve gained here … to the service of others.

How you will leave this comfort zone … and bring comfort to the vulnerable and the needy.

How you will expand our knowledge, bringing us closer to truth … and lead with wisdom and grace.

Graduates, we congratulate you, we celebrate you and we wish you every success. We look forward to hearing how you improve the world with what you have learned at Notre Dame.

Let us bring today’s ceremony to a close with a brief prayer:

Loving God, we thank you for the many blessings you have bestowed on us, and we thank you in a special way for the blessings you have bestowed on Notre Dame through these graduates.

We pray that you bless them with all that they need as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Bless their family members, friends, teachers, mentors and all those who played a role in accompanying and encouraging them over the years.

Help us all to grow in knowledge and understanding, wisdom and insight, and in faith, hope and love.

We make this prayer through the intercession of Our Lady, Notre Dame, and in the name of Christ the Lord.

Amen.