Commencement Mass 2016
Greg Onofrio, University Ministry
Graduation is a time of new beginnings. The old chapter has come to an end, and the time has come to turn the page. As students bid farewell to their beloved Gonzaga community, the Commencement Mass celebration offers them and their families a time to pray and share the Lord’s Eucharistic feast together. It reminds them to seek guidance from the Lord as they start down a new path.
The Commencement Mass follows the Catholic tradition of the baccalaureate service which derives from the medieval European custom of presenting the candidates for the degree of Bachelor (bacca) with laurels (lauri) of sermonic oration. The baccalaureate ceremony is a service of worship in celebration of and thanksgiving for lives dedicated to learning and wisdom.
The baccalaureate service is believed to have originated at the University of Oxford in 1432 when each bachelor was required to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic requirements. Since the earliest universities in America were founded primarily to educate ministers, the British practice of the baccalaureate service was continued.
Unlike the ancient baccalaureate, which honored only those receiving bachelor’s degrees, here at Gonzaga University we are pleased to celebrate with ALL graduating students, undergraduate and graduate, this profound Mass of thanksgiving for the blessings God has bestowed upon them and their families.
Our Commencement Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 7, 2016, in the McCarthey Athletic Center on the Gonzaga campus. Graduates are asked to gather in the Martin Center Gymnasium at 3:00 PM to prepare for the procession. Please wear your graduation gown (no cap or honors colors). Mass begins at 3:30 PM. Fr. James Voiss, S.J., Rector for the Gonzaga Jesuits, will be our presider. He will be accompanied by principal concelebrants Fr. Brad Reynolds, S.J. and Fr. Scott Coble, S.J., and many other priests from the Gonzaga, Spokane and Jesuit Communities.
Music will be provided by the University Ministry Commencement Mass Choir along with the Spokane Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Greg Onofrio. The Mass will feature an address to the graduates by President McCulloh, a special blessing of the graduates and, of course, a Mother’s Day blessing. A reception on the south lawn will be held immediately after Mass.