Nearly 900 students to graduate from three Catholic colleges in archdiocese
Criterion staff report
Students, families, friends and educators will join in the celebration as the three Catholic colleges in the archdiocese hold their graduation ceremonies in May.
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology
Sixty-two students are expected to receive master’s degrees when Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad holds its commencement on May 14.
The ceremony will be at 2 p.m. Central Time in St. Bede Theater on the Saint Meinrad campus. Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Ala., will deliver the commencement address.
Mass for the graduates
and their guests begins at 10:30 a.m. Central Time in the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods will celebrate its 179th commencement on May 7 when 140 graduates in its Class of 2016 will receive their associate’s, bachelors’ or master’s degree.
The Baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. in the college’s Church of the Immaculate Conception. The commencement ceremony will begin at 1:15 p.m. in Hamilton Arena of the college’s Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center.
The commencement speaker will be Melody Birmingham-Byrd, president of Duke Energy’s Indiana operation in Plainfield. She will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
The college will also present its Distinguished Alumnae Award to Mary Barrett and Providence Sister Marie Brendan Harvey.
Marian University
Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin will deliver the commencement address as 686 students will receive their associate’s, bachelors’ or master’s degree from Marian University in Indianapolis on May 7.
The graduation ceremony will be at 10 a.m. at St. Vincent Health Field on the Marian campus.
During the ceremony, Archbishop Tobin will be among four individuals to receive an honorary degree. The archbishop will be bestowed with an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.
Michael and Rebecca Weaver will both receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree. They serve as co-directors of the Weaver Popcorn Foundation, a charitable organization with a primary focus of improving educational opportunities for youths in central Indiana.
Marni McKinney Waterfield will receive an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree. She serves as president of McKinney Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports policies and practices “that promote environmental responsibility to realize green, healthy and sustainable communities.”
The Baccalaureate Mass will be at 5 p.m. on May 6 in the chapel in Marian Hall. †