Archbishop Thompson is among keynote speakers as grads receive degrees

Compiled by John Shaughnessy

As graduates receive their degrees from the three Catholic colleges in the archdiocese this May, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson will be the keynote speaker at one of the commencement ceremonies.

The archbishop will deliver a keynote address and receive an honorary degree during the undergraduate graduation ceremony at Marian University in Indianapolis on May 2, one of three graduation ceremonies that Marian will host during the weekend of May 1-3.

Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad will hold its graduation ceremony on May 9, the same day that Saint Mary-of-the Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods will have two graduation ceremonies.

Here is a glimpse of these graduation ceremonies—landmark occasions in the lives of the students who have worked hard to earn their degrees.

MARIAN UNIVERSITY

Marian University in Indianapolis will award degrees in three commencement ceremonies on the weekend of May 1-3.

During the commencement weekend, 1,012 students will earn their degrees.

Students at Marian’s Ancilla College campus in Plymouth, Ind., will receive their degrees during a May 1

ceremony at 5 p.m. in the Ancilla Domini Chapel. The commencement address will be delivered by Martin Oosterbaan, board chair for the Marshall County Community Foundation.

A commencement Mass will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. on May 1 in the chapel.

Undergraduates at Marian’s Indianapolis campus will receive their degrees during a 1:30 p.m. commencement ceremony on May 2 in the university’s Arena and Convocation Center in Indianapolis. The commencement speaker will be Archbishop Thompson.

A commencement Mass will be at 10 a.m. on May 2 in the Arena and Convocation Center, in which the archbishop will serve as the principal celebrant and homilist.

Graduate students and medical students will receive their degrees during a 10 a.m. ceremony on May 3 in the university’s Arena and Convocation Center in Indianapolis. The commencement speaker is Indiana State Rep. Danny Lopez.

Graduation events will be livestreamed at tinyurl.com/MarianU2026.

SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS COLLEGE

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in St. Mary-of-the-Woods will celebrate its commencement on May 9 for 350 graduates.

There will be two commencement ceremonies—one for on-campus students receiving their bachelor’s degrees, while the other will be for graduates of Woods Online and graduate degree programs.

Both ceremonies will be in the college’s Hamilton Arena in the Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center.

The commencement ceremony for on-campus undergraduate students will be at 10 a.m. The speaker will be Elizabeth Wetzel, who is graduating with a triple major in pre-art therapy, psychology and art.

The commencement ceremony for graduates of Woods Online and graduate degree programs will be at 3 p.m. The speaker will be Emilee Roberts, who will receive her Ph.D. in Global Leadership. She is the director of strategy and impact for Chances And Services for Youth (CASY) in Terre Haute.

As part of the commencement, the college will also have a Mass at 1 p.m. in the Church of the Immaculate Conception on campus.

SAINT MEINRAD SEMINARY AND SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

Thirty-four students will earn master’s degrees when Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad holds its graduation ceremony on May 9.

The ceremony will be at 11 a.m. Central Time in St. Bede Theater on the Saint Meinrad campus.

The commencement speaker is Angie Greulich, a charitable giving relationship manager for Catholic Relief Services.

As part of the commencement, a Mass for the graduates and their guests will be held at 9 a.m. Central Time on May 9 in the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln. †