SPRING COMMENCEMENT UNDERGRADUATE CEREMONY SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2005 9:30 A.M. SAINT • XAVIER • UNIVERSITY THE SEAL OF SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY From its earliest design honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the Coat of Arms seal of today, the seal of Saint Xavier University symbolizes a proud history of Catholic education in Chicago. This seal, designed by art department faculty member Sister Mary Solina Hicks, R.S.M., includes: a black and white checkerboard and diagonal gold bars from the family coat of arms of Saint Francis Xavier; red and gold bars and a white Jerusalem cross taken from the shield of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; an open book to represent education; and the Scripture verse, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) Saint Xavier University continues to use this seal as a symbol of its heritage and mission. OUR MISSION Saint Xavier University is an independent, coeducational, Catholic institution of higher learning. The University's primary purpose is to develop and sustain challenging undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs of study, marked by superior teaching. The University also supports research and artistic expression, and sponsors selected programs of direct service to metropolitan Chicago. Saint Xavier University seeks diversely talented students who will engage actively in a learning community that is intergenerational, multiethnic, and international. Programs of study emphasize liberal arts and specialized professional education within a context of ethical concerns and social responsibility. The University complements formal curricula with co-curricular services and programs intended to enhance lifelong learning, foster personal growth, and develop leadership qualities. Emphasizing its Catholic heritage and purpose, Saint Xavier University continues to build upon the ideals of its founders and sponsors, the Sisters of Mercy, who in 1846 established an academy defined by intellectual rigor, service to the poor, encouragement of religious faith, and a special interest in women and children. Consistent with this tradition, Saint Xavier University upholds high academic standards, respects freedom of personal religious expression, and honors commonly accepted standards of academic freedom. A VISION OF OUR CATHOLIC IDENTITY Saint Xavier University, founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, is a Catholic University which shares in the rich tradition of Catholic liberal arts higher education in the United States. As a Catholic University, Saint Xavier participates in the mission of that tradition, which is to see that "the Christian mind may achieve, as it were, a public, persistent and universal presence in the whole enterprise of advancing higher culture." Saint Xavier's programs in arts and sciences, professional learning, its support services, its Pastoral Ministry Institute, and its rich liturgical life, provide ways to promote that mission. The central activities of the University are teaching and learning. Excellence in teaching is paramount, allowing for the advancement of the fields of study through careful research, critical analysis, and thoughtful discussion. An essential condition of this activity is the academic freedom of faculty and students. The Catholic Church recognizes the fundamental dignity of all persons on whom the responsibility to seek the truth rests, and supports each person in the pursuit of truth, especially religious truth. As a Catholic University of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Saint Xavier shares in the commitment to act in solidarity with the economically poor of the world, especially women and children. The commitment to Mercy means that we care that all our students develop a voice in the conversation of the contemporary world, that we care that they achieve competence and putsue excellence in the arts and sciences, and that they infuse personal and professional practice with the spirit of liberal learning. The hospitality and compassion which marked the work of Catherine McAuley should be reflected in the life of the University community, the character of its education, and in its many services to the community. As a Catholic University, Saint Xavier promotes the vigorous discussion of religious ideas. This conversation must strive to include the myriad and various voices of the Catholic tradition, past and present, as well as the voices of teachers and students from all traditions. It is a particularly Catholic purpose to understand the differences among these voices clearly and distinctly, to celebrate these differences, to discern what these voices have in common, and to engage them in conversation with the Catholic tradition. As a Catholic University, Saint Xavier is inspired by the Christian message of love of God and love of neighbor. Its administrators, faculty, staff, and students must dedicate themselves to the pursuit of academic excellence in the context of respect, caring, and justice. SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY AND THE SISTERS OF MERCY Saint Xavier University, founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, is a Catholic University that shares in the rich tradition of Catholic liberal arts higher education in the United States. As a Catholic University, Saint Xavier seeks to fulfill the vision of the Second Vatican Council that "the Christian mind may achieve, as it were, a public, persistent and universal presence in the whole enterprise of advancing higher culture and that the students of these institutions become people outstanding in learning, ready to shoulder society's heavier burdens and to witness the faith to the world." Saint Xavier University was founded in 1846 by Mother Mary Frances Xavier Warde, R.S.M., and five other Sisters of Mercy. When the Sisters of Mercy came to Chicago, they came as educators; and Saint Xavier quickly became the foremost embodiment of their purpose and dedication. Mother Frances Xavier Warde decided to brave the western frontier because Chicago's first prelate, Bishop William Quarter, presented her with an urgent need in the three-year-old diocese: the Catholic education of girls and young women. Before three weeks had passed, they opened Saint Francis Xavier Female Academy. Before three months had passed, Bishop Quarter was describing their efforts to benefactors in France: "A colony of nuns have come and taken up their abode amongst us. They are the Sisters of Mercy.... They teach the poor, they visit the sick, they instruct the ignorant and they employ themselves in training up youth in the ways of virtue and holiness."* When the school received its charter in 1847, it was one of the first institutions of higher learning in Illinois, and the first Mercy college in the United States. Throughout its history, Saint Xavier has remained committed to the mission of the Sisters of Mercy, preparing students of all ages, cultures, backgrounds and viewpoints for a life of knowledge and service. Today, Saint Xavier University is a coeducational, private, Catholic university with a tradition of academic excellence. A dedicated faculty committed to teaching, scholarship and service, excellent facilities, and small classes ensure a quality learning experience. With more than 35 undergraduate majors and 40 graduate program options in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Education, Nursing, School for Continuing and Professional Studies, and the Graham School of Management, Saint Xavier offers its more than 5,700 students a firm foundation in the liberal arts along with solid career preparation. In keeping with the inspiring heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, the University combines academic excellence with social concern and service to the community. Among its many initiatives, the University, often in partnership or collaboration with others, sponsors the Barbara Vick Early Childhood and Family Center on the Southwest Side of Chicago, the Ludden Speech and Language Clinic, the Merwick Academy, the Renaissance Academy, the S.T.A.R. Learning Academy, the McDonough Chapel and Mercy Ministry Center, the Center for Religion and Public Discourse, the Pastoral Ministry Institute, and the Bishop John R. Gorman Institute for Leadership in Catholic Education. * joy Clough, R.S.M., First in Chicago: A History of Saint Xavier University (Chicago: Saint Xavier University, 1997), 3. UNDERGRADUATE COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER 2005 HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT CITATION HONORING SISTER MARGARET A. FARLEY, R.S.M., PH.D. Dr. Margaret A. Farley, a Sister of Mercy of the Regional Community of Detroit, holds the Gilbert L. Stark Chair in Christian Ethics at Yale University Divinity School. She received an A.B. in English Literature and M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Detroit, and an M.Phil, and Ph.D. in Religious Studies with a specialization in ethics from Yale University. She was appointed to the faculty of Yale University Divinity School in 1971. Sister Margaret is the author or co-editor of six books, including Personal Commitments: Beginning Keeping, Changing; Compassionate Respect; Embodiment, Morality, and Medicine; and Liberating Eschatology. She has published more than 80 articles and chapters of books on topics of ethical methodology, medical ethics, sexual ethics, social ethics, historical theological ethics, ethics and spirituality. She is currently working on two books, one on sexual ethics, and the other on the experience of free choice. She is the recipient of ten honorary degrees and a variety of fellowships and awards, including the John Courtney Murray Award for Excellence in Theology. She has