Holy Cross Awards 715 Bachelor of Arts Degrees During Commencement Exercises

On a sun-drenched Fitton Field, Mark Shriver ’86 reminded members of the Class of 2010 that when they decided to study at Holy Cross, they accepted the invitation to live their lives differently than had they enrolled in any other college in the country.

Shriver served as the principal speaker at the College’s 164th Commencement Exercises held on May 28.

“Just think of the name of this college: Holy Cross,” he said.

“You enrolled in a place that sees the cross, the painful crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as a holy and redeeming moment. A place whose very identity is shaped by the image of a very human, frail, broken, and persecuted Christ. A Christ who said yes to the invitation to sacrifice his humanity to reconcile the world.”

In addition to graduating from Holy Cross, Shriver, the vice president and managing director of Save the Children, has several connections to the College. He is married to Jeanne Ripp Shriver ’87. He is the son of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, former Holy Cross trustee and honorary degree recipient in 1979 and of R. Sargent Shriver, who received an honorary degree in 1986. His sister Maria Shriver received an honorary degree in 1998.

“I know that this college on a hill has taught you that you cannot be morally-neutral; that the contemplative must be matched with equal parts action; that there is no way that you can claim that the morally good life, is not the ultimate purpose of the informed life,” he said.

“Holy Cross has taught me — and I hope all of you — that what is truly important in life is to accept Jesus’ invitation to serve each other.”

A total of 715 men and women were awarded bachelor of arts degrees before 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.

In her valedictory address, Julianna Stuart, from Storrs, Conn., told fellow graduates that the liberal arts education taught them to think critically, communicate clearly, become problem solvers, and most importantly to take nothing at face value.

“This institution never asked us to be satisfied,” said Stuart, a religious studies major with a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies. “In fact, this institution taught us how to be uncomfortable. It gave us a gift and a responsibility. And honoring that responsibility requires that we never stop questioning, we never stop listening, we never stop trying for something better than what we are told to accept.”

In addition to delivering the commencement address, Shriver received an honorary degree. Honorary degrees were also conferred on Rev. William A. Barry, S.J., spiritual director and author, Campion Renewal Center; Rev. Sally Bingham, Episcopal priest and Canon for the Environment in the Diocese of California; and Sidney Callahan, author and distinguished scholar, The Hastings Center.

For more coverage, including photos and audio, visit the Commencement website.

Pictured: Mark Shriver '86 delivers the principal address at Holy Cross' 164th Commencement Exercises.