
Spring is an exciting season marked by accomplishment as many young adults are sent out into the world following their graduation. These celebrations of academic achievement feature commencement speeches delivered by athletes, working professionals, and people of inspiration.
But more important than accolades, is when keynote speakers focus on God, faith, overcoming adversity, and remaining in the truth of the Catholic faith. Here are this year’s commencement speeches delivered by inspirational and faithful Catholics!
Harrison Butker- Benedictine College
Harrison Butker is the famed Catholic philanthropist and placekicker for the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
At Benedictine, Butker set off a firestorm both outside and within Catholic circles. He spoke about the importance of staying strong in the faith, family, and being exactly where God has called you to be.
“Being locked in with your vocation and staying in your lane is going to be the surest way for you to find true happiness and peace in this life,” Butker said. “It is essential that we focus on our own state in life, whether that be as a layperson, a priest, or religious, ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024.”
“We see that in the complete surrender of self and a turning towards Christ, you will find happiness,” Butker added.
He is now the target of death threats, libel, and calls by left-wing groups to have the NFL fire him. The NFL even issued a statement distancing themselves from Harrison Butker – all because he expressed basic Christian beliefs in public… at a Catholic school. Check out CatholicVote’s petition – and tell the NFL you stand behind Butker!
Sign Our Petition to Support Butker!
Jonathan Roumie – The Catholic University of America
Jonathan Roumie, the award-winning actor who portrays Jesus in “The Chosen,” delivered a commencement address on May 11 to the graduating class of CUA.
“You don’t need to play Jesus to the world in order to be Jesus to the world,” Roumie stated.
Roumie was conferred an honorary doctorate from the university and delivered a heartwarming speech filled with humor and humility.
“Put into action these three things. The first two I already mentioned, being Jesus to others in the world, amping up your prayer life,” he said. “And the third and most radical concept, surrender. You’re not in charge, God is.”
Father Mike Schmitz- Ave Maria University
On May 4 Father Mike Schmitz spoke at a commencement ceremony at AMU in Florida.
Fr. Schmitz is the host of “The Bible in a Year,” podcast, and regularly posts videos on the catechism and the Catholic faith on the “Ascension Presents” YouTube channel.
“This is your bushwhacking moment,” he said. “You got to this day, and the track runs out. This is the day you enter the wilderness.”
Schmitz highlighted that even in difficulties God is the ultimate parent and that God wants more for us than we even want for ourselves.
“A good parent is not one who takes their child out of suffering or out of pain. A good parent is not one who paves the way and makes life easier,” Schmitz said. “The good parent is the one who says ‘it is my job to make my child stronger.’”
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito- Franciscan University of Steubenville
During the May 11 commencement at Franciscan University, Justice Samuel Alito served as the commencement speaker for the largest graduating class Franciscan University has ever seen.
899 graduates listened as Justice Alito warned graduates of the impending dangers surrounding free speech and religious freedom in the U.S.
“Right now in the world outside this beautiful campus, troubled waters are slamming against some of our most fundamental principles,” the Justice said.
“Religious liberty is also threatened. When you venture out into the world, you may find yourself in a job or a community or a social setting where you will be pressured to endorse ideas you don’t believe or to abandon core beliefs,” Justice Alito continued. “It will be up to you to stand firm and as Bishop Caggiano said last night, ‘it will be up to you to speak out.’”
Professor Tracey Rowland- Christendom College
Professor Tracey Rowland is the St. John Paul II Chair of Theology for the University of Notre Dame Australia and served as the keynote speaker for Christendom College at the college’s 45th commencement ceremony.
Professor Rowland highlighted that battle for Catholics in everyday life.
“My first piece of advice is to understand that you have been born into a cosmic battle from which there is no escape,” Rowland stated. “Neutrality is not an option you will either stand for Christ or help to open the field for those who have organized against Him.”
Rowland discussed the pursuit of high-Catholic culture for the pursuit of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in the wake of woke ideology and Marxism.
“My Hope for you as you enter the world at large as is that you will carry with you a little of the high Catholic culture that made the nations of Europe great, and that the United States the country of the Knights of Columbus will become all the stronger for your lives of service.”
Cardinal Raymond Burke- Thomas Aquinas College
On May 18, Cardinal Burke spoke at Thomas Aquinas College in New England for its third commencement celebration since it was established in 2019.
Burke centered his speech around the question of the apostles following Christ’s ascension and Pentecost, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
“The answer to the question is simple: Convert daily to Christ, repent of your sins, and respond with all your heart to Christ’s call to holiness of life,” Burke stated.
“Your lives, like the lives of those baptized on Pentecost, must be marked by a steadfast adherence to the truths of our Catholic faith handed down to us in an unbroken line through the Apostolic Tradition, to our communion with one another as true sons and daughters of God in God the Son by virtue of the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, to faithful participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – “the breaking of the bread” by which Christ makes sacramentally present the fruits of His Sacrifice on Calvary-, and to the rich treasury of devotions and prayers in the Church.”
In short, Burke’s message to the new graduates was simple – be faithful to Christ through the Catholic Church.
“By so living you will remain in the company of Christ in His holy Church and become ever more one in heart with His Most Sacred Heart.”
