Archbishop Thompson offers Christ-centered wisdom to Marian University graduates
Chemistry assistant professor Dr. Patrick McVey, second from left (obscured), and Toby McClamrock, chair of the board of trustees of Marian University, place a hood over Archbishop Charles C. Thompson during a May 2 commencement ceremony at the school. Looking on is Marian president Daniel Elsener. (Photo by Sean Gallagher)
By Sean Gallagher
The 1,012 undergraduates receiving degrees weren’t the only people honored during the May 2 commencement ceremony at Marian University in Indianapolis.
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson was also on hand to receive an honorary doctorate in religious education, awarded to him by Marian’s board of trustees.
He also delivered a commencement address during the ceremony.
The day began with the archbishop celebrating and preaching at a commencement Mass at the university.
Through it all, Archbishop Thompson and graduates who offered their own reflections invited all in attendance to look for a higher meaning of success and deeper ways of understanding their mission in the world.
‘No greater teacher than the person of Jesus Christ’
During his homily at the Mass, Archbishop Thompson spoke about how it was fitting to begin a day of graduation celebration with the Eucharist since it’s “within the context of the Mass, as Catholics, [that] we recognize in a spirit of gratitude that we owe all things to God, and we seek in turn to glorify God.”
“The celebration of Mass, the most holy Eucharist, reminds us of the need for grateful hearts if we are to experience true happiness and fulfillment in this life and the next,” he later added. “Success is not so much in the exteriors of salary, position, awards and status as in the interior peace and joy of the soul.”
During the liturgy, Archbishop Thompson shared with the graduates, families, Marian faculty and administration members advice that Pope Leo XIV has given about artificial intelligence (AI) in his first year as bishop of Rome: to “ ‘not let AI write your narrative’ ” or “ ‘do your homework.’ ”
“What he’s saying in all of this is not to let AI or anyone or anything rob you of your ability to critically think,” emphasized Archbishop Thompson, who went on to praise Marian for honing critical thinking skills in its students “in fidelity to its Catholic identity and mission, especially grounded in the charisms of the Franciscan Sisters of Oldenburg,” who founded the university.
Reflecting on the scriptural readings for the commencement liturgy, Archbishop Thompson invited the graduates, who he noted had done so much work at Marian to grow in “human knowledge,” to also place a high value on growing in wisdom.
“Wisdom is a character trait of God,” he said. “It is that essence of Jesus showing us the way to eternal life. To obtain wisdom involves communion with a force greater than oneself. It is gained through experience, encounter, discernment and prayer, … being Christ-centered rather than letting any personality, influencer or ideology rob us of our ability to recognize how we are called to be like Jesus in our way of living and being.”
Acknowledging that the graduates before him were understandably looking forward to applying the knowledge they gained at Marian to build a successful career, Archbishop Thompson also offered a different perspective on the meaning of success.
“The greatest sign of success is not to be discovered in the diplomas that may hang on our walls but in the Christ-centered manner in which we use our gifts and talents to glorify God and serve others,” he said. “Amid all the classes, research, studies and profs, there has been no greater teacher than the person of Jesus Christ.
“May we never tire of looking to him as the way, the truth and the life of how we live the mission of bringing about the kingdom of God.”
In a reflection after Communion during the Mass, graduate Benjamin Moster, a member of St. Louis Parish in Batesville, invited his fellow graduates, as they go forth into the world, to reflect on how they can share Christ’s peace with others.
“How do you bring Christ’s peace into the world?” Moster asked. “We are all unique in what we do: engineers, teachers, nurses, philosophers, theologians and countless other professions. Yet, we are so similar in that we are all called to share the Lord wherever we go.”
‘Ambassadors of hope’
During the commencement ceremony, Marian graduate Sylvia Quezada, who majored in engineering, reflected on AI and the dangers of depending on technological development alone to solve social problems.
She said that the graduates of her generation are stepping into a world “being reshaped by artificial intelligence.”
“But we’re not just witnessing change,” Quezada noted, “we get to be part of building it through our careers.
“And with that comes responsibility. Now more than ever, we’re called to make intentional decisions, lead with integrity, and uphold the Franciscan values that shaped our formation.”
Echoing themes Archbishop Thompson had spoken about in his homily at the commencement Mass, Quezada called on her fellow graduates to become “moral leaders … who can act with integrity, leaders who choose courage over comfort.”
“Will we be a generation that follows progress, or one that leads with wisdom, compassion and faith?” she asked. “My prayer is that wherever we go, we don’t settle for passive belief or passive leadership, that we choose to act, that we choose to lead and that we never lose sight of what is truly essential.”
In his commencement address, Archbishop Thompson gave a stark description of the “wounded world” into which the graduates were going, a world “marked by various forms of addiction, racial division, scapegoating, abuse, violence, injustice and polarization, just to name a few.”
He exhorted the graduates to “be willing to contribute to a viable solution that is rooted in the principles of the Catholic faith upon which Marian University is founded, especially those charisms of the Franciscans.”
“Marian University exists not just for the well-being of individuals, of its graduates, but for the sake of the larger community,” he continued. “Formation and education are the primary means of transforming lives, families, communities, nations and the world.”
If the graduates use the gifts of knowledge and wisdom they gained at Marian in this way, Archbishop Thompson said, they will become “ambassadors of hope to inspire healing, restoration of justice, a spirit of mercy and renewed confidence in both God and humanity.”
Concluding his commencement address, Archbishop Thompson offered a prayer for and an exhortation to the Marian graduates.
“We pray that you have the courage, humility and generosity to realize the potential of all that you are and have become to make a difference in your families, communities, places of worship and society itself,” he said. “Be not afraid to leave your mark—the mark in which you have been created in the image of God and claimed by the Lord—on the world.
“Today is a day of celebration in hope. Against all odds, dare to hope, dare to be the cause of hope, dare to bring hope to the lives of others.” †
