Felician College Graduates Urged to
Remember the Past as they Prepare for the Future 

Felician College’s 2001 commencement exercises on Sunday, May 20, alternately evoked laughter, tears, and cheers as 200 graduates—the largest group in Felician’s history—received their diplomas.  Setting the tone for the two-hour ceremony, Associate Campus Minister Sister Maria Magdelana sang a light-hearted, yet reverent, rendition of the “Sabbath Prayer” from Fiddler on the Roof followed by a powerful performance of “Con te Partiro” (“A Time to Say Goodbye”) by Lucio Guarantotta and Francesco Sartari where she reached the impossibly high high-notes with ease and brought graduates, families and friends to their feet in a standing ovation. 

Honorary doctorates were awarded to Miles Lerman, Chairman Emeritus of the United States Holocaust Museum, and The Rev. Dr. Michael J. Himes, a theology professor at Boston College.  Addressing members of the graduating class, Lerman spoke somberly of the Holocaust and urged the graduates to remember the lessons of the past as they prepare for the future.  “Only by understanding the past,” he said, “can we build a future on strong foundations.”  He reminded graduates that the same kind of atrocities which occurred in Nazi Germany are occurring today in places like the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.  “You, the graduates, who are embracing today the realities of life, must come to understand that if you want to prevent the Kosovos and Rwandas of tomorrow, you must not remain silent.”  The choices, he said, are theirs.  “The choices you make today will reflect on your children of tomorrow.” 

Building on Lerman’s message, Commencement Speaker Father Himes spoke animatedly about the importance of “entering into conversation” with people from the past.  “We need to hear from people of a different time as well as those who are alive during our lifetimes.”  It is enormously important, he said, that we speak to the likes of Aristotle, Shakespeare, Dante, Mozart, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, and Isaiah.  “Do not let those who go before us be silenced.  They speak to us loudly and eloquently.”  By “listening” and learning from people of the past, “we become more wholly and richly human,” said Himes.  College, he said, is not just about producing doctors, lawyers and businesspeople, it is about producing human beings.  “Find virtuous people,” he said, “and hang out with them. By doing so, you’ll learn what virtue requires of you at any given moment.” 

The afternoon’s presentations were concluded with an emotional address from valedictorian Jacqueline Tridente, an education major, who spoke about her educational journey and the sacrifices she made to reach her goals.  As a single mother who began her studies at the age of 28, Tridente, praised the faculty of Felician College who “make it obvious that they deeply care about every one of us.”  It was that kind of support, she said, that made all the difference.  “Without the faculty’s unending support and the light of God leading me every step of the way, I would not have achieved so much,” she said.  Her decision to attend Felician College was made all the more meaningful, she said, when she learned that her mother had been raised on the Lodi campus in an orphanage that now serves as the Felician School for Exceptional Children.  “This has always felt like home,” she said.  As she neared the end of her address, she spoke to her children.  Pausing as she worked to hold back the flow of tears, she thanked them for “hanging in there” as she juggled work, family and classes; joked that they might have been “shopping around for a new mommy;” and apologized for time lost.  “We have all the time in the world now,” she said.  As her two young children climbed the stage to present her with flowers, there were few dry eyes among graduates, faculty, families and friends as they were reminded of Father Himes’ message of how “richly human” we all are.