Carlow University
| www.carlow.edu Pittsburgh, PA May 12, 2007 |
Sr. Margaret Hannan '65, RSM, president of the Sisters of Mercy, Pittsburgh Regional Community: |
"There are plenty of challenges in today’s society that await you: violence, discrimination, consumerism, the environment, to name a few. We live in a violent world. When you walk through life reverencing others, accepting with equal grace those you like and those you dislike, friend and foe alike, you’ll make a difference in this world. Our world discriminates making judgments according to race, religion, cultural practices and economic means. When you embrace the differences, and work peaceably with diversity, you’ll make a difference. |
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We live in a throw-away, consumer society, a world of waste and harm to Earth. When you honor creation and grow in mindfulness of your imprint on the planet, you’ll make a difference. When you apply to your everyday life the skills in critical thinking and the research that you practiced in your academic discipline at Carlow, when you blend contemplation and action in your search for God, you live a life of depth and meaning marked by values you experienced here. To counter our world’s self-centeredness, show others that they matter by engaging in service not only with intellectual competence but also with heartfelt compassion and a spirit of welcome. That’s the Mercy difference. Today you leave here with a degree that you earned. But more importantly, you leave here with the legacy of Mercy that you inherited. You mattered at Carlow. Now, share your skills and your inheritance by letting your family, your colleagues, your friends, your neighbors, everyday strangers that you encounter know that they matter." |
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