More than 800 graduating 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-one students are expected to receive master’s degrees when Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad holds its commencement on May 9.
The ceremony will be at 2 p.m. Central Time in St. Bede Theater on the Saint Meinrad campus. Bishop Timothy L. Doherty of the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana will deliver the graduation address.
Mass for the graduates and their guests begins at 10:30 a.m. Central Time on May 9 in the Archabbey Church.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods will celebrate its commencement on May 2 when the 90 graduates of its Class of 2015 will be honored.
The ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m., will be the first commencement to be held in the college’s new Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center that was completed in late 2014.
The commencement speaker will be Suzanne Crouch, the auditor and chief financial officer for the state of Indiana. The former Indiana state representative received the 2012 Public Policy Award from Arc of Indiana for her legislative efforts on behalf of people with disabilities.
The college will also present its Distinguished Alumnae Award to Providence Sister Barbara Doherty and Dr. Melanie Waller.
The co-chancellor of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Sister Barbara is also an author, scholar and theologian who served as the president of the school from 1984 to 1998.
Waller served in many medical roles with the United States Navy before retiring as a captain from her 20-year career. She currently is the vice chief of the medical staff at Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney, Ill.
Marian University
When Marian University in Indianapolis celebrates its commencement at 10 a.m. on May 9, the Franciscan college will confer degrees on 652 graduates.
The commencement speaker will be Dennis Bland, president of the Center for Leadership Development, an Indianapolis non-profit organization dedicated to empowering African-American youths for academic, college and career success. He will also receive an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree during the ceremony, which will be held at St. Vincent Health Field on the Marian campus.
Albert and Christine Hackl will also receive honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degrees during the commencement. The husband and wife are being honored for the ways their commitments to their families, their careers and their Catholic faith have made a difference to their communities, including the establishment of several endowments for the benefit of the poor, the practice of medicine and endeavors in the Catholic Church. †