Bishop Kmiec Addresses Class of 2007
Ceremonies held on May 16, 2007
The Bishop began his address to the 308 master’s degree graduates by expressing his gratitude for the honorary degree he had just received. “God,” he said, “is full of Divine surprises that bless us on our way.”
Bishop Kmiec told the graduates that hopefully and prayerfully, their total experience in the Catholic environment at Canisius has helped them to grow in recognition of their true self as a child of God, and as such possessing a great dignity that also places a responsibility not only for themselves, but also in service of others.
Further, he said, “At Pentecost, we are called to be witnesses to the world by what we believe, and how we live and act. In a sense, you are called to be prophets in our times, prophetical voices contributing to the development of social structures that respect human dignity and promote peace, justice, faith, life, love and mutual support.”
“I hope your experience at Canisius has raised your consciousness of human ideals and given you a sense of your empowerment to be an actor on the stage of life,” he said. “Stay connected to God. There’s a colloquial saying I picked up in my days in Nashville: ‘Ain’t nothin’ gonna come up today that me and the Lord can’t handle.’ Believe it. Ad multos gloriosque annos! Wishing you a long life of many glorious years. God bless!”
The Bishop ended his remarks with a resounding “Go Sabres!”
Date released: 5/21/2007
