2007- All

"Esteemed graduates, fortified with the completion of your privileged Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts education, remember to listen to your deeper call – to respond to the human and spiritual needs so evident in our world today. And consider it a privilege to do so.

I was so inspired by the words of U2 rock star Bono: ‘God is in the slums,’ he said, ‘in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives.

"This is an exciting time in America. We have a woman and an African American running for President of the United States. I hope that because of them, you feel empowered to accomplish anything and everything in today’s world.

I hope their courage—and it does take a lot of courage to be a public servant today—and their commitment to bringing their talents and energies to the highest levels of civic engagement, will inspire you to set your sights very, very high, regardless of your gender, race, religion or national origin.

I hope that because of them and others like them who are committed to public service, you will be further inspired to challenge the status quo and make it better.

The challenges in the workplace will equally need your vision and your focus. When I joined corporate America in the early 1970’s, affirmative action and the value of a diverse workforce were highly valued, and I hope they will be again, under your leadership."

"Life is more than health habits, or a challenging job or a nice home in the right neighborhood or a good salary, though useful they be. It is purpose and meaning, the grand mystery.

I believe the grand mystery is all around us. We just have to be open to the beauty and wonder of God that is present in the dailyness of our lives.

Several years ago, on a beautiful spring morning, I was walking to the car and I ran into a homeless, young man who came to our house on occasion for food. We were talking about how beautiful it was outside after the long, hard winter and this young man, who had nothing, says to me: ‘This is God’s world. I’m walking in God’s world and it is a privilege to be here.’ I thought to myself, ‘Wow, if I were in his situation would I be able to say that and to mean it ?’"

"You, the Columbia College Class of 2007, now possess a tremendous gift: the gift of a wonderful education. This is the greatest tool you have to make the right choices as you embark on the next chapter of your life. So I leave you with one last piece of advice – never give up. Mary McLeod Bethune, Susan B. Anthony, and Sarah Mae Flemming were faced with extraordinary obstacles.

They never gave up. When they came to a fork in the road, they chose the path that while treacherous, led to a long-term positive effect. I urge you to look down the path ahead of you, and search for those opportunities that will lead you to have a positive impact no matter how large or small. You have earned your degree, and it is now time to take your place as a ‘good steward of God’s varied grace.’"

"Use your mind and your soul. You leave here with a valuable, privileged asset: a liberal arts education, which has as its goal to teach one how to think – not how to compile "information” – that changes faster than we can speak of it – but how to divide the spurious from the real, the false from the true, to leave nothing of your experience unexamined, none of your principles untested.

"The more conscious we are of our vocation, the clearer our sense of purpose is. The more aware we are of our vocation, the more are we able to reach deep into ourselves for strength, for perseverance, for courage.

The more we believe that ours is a sacred calling, the more we can draw on God’s grace and wisdom to sustain us. By living out our vocation, by serving the human community in the way we were created to do, we weave our story into the great tapestry of human life. And in that there is deep joy."

"My first goal was to work in the space program and my second was to become an astronaut. I was turned down twice, but accepted on my third application. Life goals must be hard to attain in order to be worthwhile, but the benefits are out of this world! We will stumble and fall along the way, but we get back up with the help of family, friends and faith. Be the best you can be, set goals and pray for God's wisdom. The future is before you. Enter it with enthusiasm, determination, selflessness and optimism."

"What a woman wants most is autonomy, the right to make decisions about her life. And I think that is what we all — women and men — want — the right to make decisions about our lives and the ability to carry them out. So I wish for all of you satisfying love and work, and the ability to mold your lives as you want them.

I want to end by quoting Susan B. Anthony, a leader of the movement for women's right to vote. She claimed that: ‘Failure is impossible.’

For all of you, my congratulations on your graduating, and remember, failure is impossible."

"I ask you to live deliberately…What we do and how we do it does define us.

Each of us just needs a story—a story worth telling, a story worth living. A story of a life that in some small measure matters…With each thing you do—and each thing you decide not to do— you write that story.