A Word from the President - Villanova University

Father Donohue gives Communion to a graduate at the Baccalaureate Mass,
which was celebrated in the Villanova Stadium on Saturday, May 17.
we know and raise it upwards.” Aristotle
on the other hand, standing next to him,
carries the book and has his hand flat
out—almost to say to his teacher, “Yes,
that eternal vision is important, but we
cannot forget the reality of this earth.”
Father Donohue encouraged the
graduates to reflect on the value and
power of their Villanova education and
what a Villanova legacy will mean for
their future. “At Villanova, we have
asked you to examine those two
elements. We have asked you to look at
the elements of this earth. We have
asked you to examine the problems of
this earth. We have asked you to
examine how to build community. We
have asked you to look and examine how
you experience community. We have
asked you to look and experience how
you serve community. We have asked
you to be in that marketplace and, like
those two great philosophers, to pay
attention to it—to really see the people
who are around you and recognize that
your knowledge, your information, must
be something that touches them. But in
the same way, you must be able to
translate that knowledge into a greater
truth and see a larger vision, and move
yourselves beyond what we sometimes get
caught up in, in this world, and recognize
that all of us must lift ourselves up—that
we must create a greater vision―that we
must be people who really learn—to take
what we experience here on earth and to
move it to transcend ourselves upward.”
Father Donohue reminded the congregation
that God calls us to summon our
gifts and talents for a greater good. He
exhorted the graduates to translate their
knowledge into vision and action that
will make a difference for others. “We
are called to be people who really continue
to know what it is that we must be,
and that we must take all of that information
and become something different.
All of us here at Villanova hope that
your experience here has enabled you to
recognize the power and creation of God.
That it has helped you to recognize and
realize that human touch and compassion
of God. And we hope that it has
energized you in His Spirit—that you
may go forth from here to continue to
preach that Gospel—to live that life that
does not condemn, that does not negate,
but rather heals and demonstrates compassion,
and continues to build up those
images that we have shared with you.
“We speak so much at Villanova
about the heart and the mind and how
those two things must come together.
But those images of heart and mind also
carry with it all kinds of other ideas, of
other metaphors: The mind to be an
instrument of imagination, of exploration,
of seeking something new, of debating
what is true. The heart, pulsating
with the energy of life. The heart,
beating something different. The heart,
learning to love. The heart, being an
instrument that allows others to have
life, and joining those things together is
what we have tried to instill in each one
of you. And now it is up to you to move
from this place and instill it in others.”
Father Donohue urged graduates to
understand that their education, and the
values imparted by Villanova, will infuse
their actions. Learning is a lifelong experience,
but now is a time to put into
action the ideals and values that they
have learned. “You must come down from
the mountain, carrying those tablets and
bring with you the message of God, that
He is always one with His people, that
God is always present to His people, that
God will always energize His people. You
must show others the intellect of the
mind. You must to be able to ignite their
hearts and illuminate their spirits. You
must show to them what God has
demonstrated in your lives, and you must
bring to them the energy and compassion
and creation that He has shown to us.”
Finally, Father Donohue reminded the
graduates that throughout their lives,
their actions and examples ultimately
will reflect the measure of their Villanova
education and the values they have
personally absorbed. “We go forth from
this place knowing that God is a God of
compassion and love. And therefore so
must we be people who live that mind,
be people who will allow that heart to
beat, and be people who illuminate that
spirit for others. If you are able and
willing to do that, then you have taken
the greatest gifts from Villanova. You
have taken yourselves, and we are proud,
excited and grateful for your presence
here. We know you will bring together
the compassion of this world, the love of
this world, and raise them up to new
heights. You must be Villanova.”
Summer 2008 23