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Salutation 2009
We have reason to be proud of you graduates. Before you leave today to celebrate with your families and friends, and to encounter the very real challenges the world has put before you, let me remind you of what you have done.
You have successfully completed a rigorous undergraduate curriculum and you will soon step into new arenas of challenge and come to realize how very well prepared you are as ethical, spiritual, inquiring, articulate, and clear thinking human beings.
You have embraced a Lasallian ethic of service to others, in an admirable and exemplary way. You have served your fellow students, the Bay Area, the nation and the world, through your thousands of hours of community service, and volunteering your talents and time to make people’s lives better and the planet safer and more sustainable. You have brought national recognition to Saint Mary’s in service, artistic, literary, scientific, and athletic accomplishment. You have garnered a world wide reputation for stuffing phone booths, continuing a proud Gael tradition. You are leaving a legacy of generosity, enthusiasm and commitment to the undergraduates who follow you. Congratulations.
Finally, today, I want to remind you to offer sincere thanks to those who have accompanied and supported you on this journey. First, thank your parents and relatives. And secondly, thank your superb faculty, who have gathered today with you to send you off to do even greater deeds. And finally, thank God, whose boundless mercy has blessed us all. And remember, that you are always in the presence of God.
- Brother President Ronald Gallagher, FSC |
