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An artist's conception of the completed Oratory
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AMU Graduation Held at Four Locations
June 18, 2008
Commencement ceremonies for Ave Maria University’s Class of 2008 were held at Ave Maria, Florida; St. Louis, Missouri; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and San Marcos, Nicaragua.
Ave Maria’s main campus in Ave Maria, Florida, hosted Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, who presided and preached at the Baccalaureate Mass held in the Oratory on June 9th. Commencement was also held, on June 10th, to the great satisfaction of students, staff and faculty, in the newly dedicated Ave Maria Oratory. 95 students walked in the procession, the first at the newly-built permanent campus.
In St. Louis and Green Bay, graduation ceremonies were held for participants of the Institute for Pastoral Theology (IPT), a weekend-class program designed for “non-traditional” students seeking a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree in Pastoral Theology. The IPT’s “non-traditional” students included a few grandparents and one couple who relocated from the Philippines to attend classes. The typical student profile is a “mid-life adult” with a full-time job and a family. Several students have even given birth while pursuing studies in AMU’s IPT (two this year). Nine IPT graduates received their degrees at AMU, seven in St. Louis and 12 in Green Bay.
Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, then Archbishop of St. Louis, celebrated the Baccalaureate Mass for IPT graduates at the Basilica in St. Louis on June 1st. Dr. David Twellman, Associate Professor and one of the founding faculty members of the IPT in 2001, addressed graduates at the commencement exercises held at the Hyatt Regency following the Mass. President Nick Healy was present, with his wife, Jane, to congratulate the graduates. But more impressive, according to Jane Healy, were the “encouraging remarks and expressions of gratitude to the IPT and also to Ave Maria University, to Tom Monaghan and President Healy.”
Archbishop Burke also attended the commencement exercises, for which the Healy’s were especially grateful. Mrs. Healy comments, “The Archbishop not only prays for our success but he’s willing to devote time and effort to support our mission and our goals.”
Archbishop Burke was very recently appointed (on June 27th) by Pope Benedict XVI to the office of Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome, the highest judicial authority of the Catholic Church. One of the world’s foremost authorities on Roman Catholic Canon Law, Archbishop Burke studied Canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Prior to his current appointment as Prefect, the Archbishop held two other positions within the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. He was the first American to hold the position of Defender of the Bond and also served as a member of the College of Judges.
Ave Maria University awarded Archbishop Burke an honorary degree (Doctorate Honoris Causa) in 2005.
Bishop Robert J. Banks, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Green Bay, celebrated a Baccalaureate Mass at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. Bishop Banks has had a lifelong interest in education. He has served as the chair of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Education and the Committee on the Catechism. He served as the chair of the National Catholic Education Association. Commencement exercises followed at the Cathedral’s Bishop Wycislo Center.
