As he delivered the closing remarks at Holy Cross College’s 58th Commencement Ceremony Saturday, President Marco J. Clark recalled visiting three years ago and seeing familiar faces. Whether the then-first-year students knew it or not, they persuaded President Clark to move to South Bend.
“It was your joy, authenticity, eagerness to grow and learn, love for life, love for the Lord, and love for Holy Cross that drew me here,” President Clark told the graduates.
On a day filled with reflection, gratitude, and celebration, Holy Cross College conferred degrees upon the Class of 2025 at its 58th Commencement Ceremony, held inside McKenna Arena at the Pfeil Center.
The ceremony honored not just academic achievement but the full transformation of each graduate—formed through rigorous education, deep community, and the mission of Holy Cross: to prepare students to become scholars, citizens, leaders, and disciples.
“Through uncertain times and unexpected obstacles, we have persevered,” said senior speaker Tim Brown Jr., who opened the ceremony. “As we stand on the threshold of a new journey, everything feels grounded in purpose and guided by the values we’ve lived here at Holy Cross.”
Brown’s message celebrated the support systems that made the day possible—faculty mentors, faithful families, and fellow classmates—and highlighted the strong sense of belonging that shaped their college experience.
“Welcome to a celebration of hard work, faith, and a community that has shaped us in ways we’re only beginning to understand,” he said.
Valedictorian Bradley Szotko called on his fellow graduates to take what they’ve learned at Holy Cross and use it to create authentic connections in a divided world.
“When we truly encounter somebody,” he said, “we see their loves, their fears, their joys, and their sadnesses… and from this, we can work with them to find common ground.”
Szotko encouraged the Class of 2025 to resist division and indifference and instead commit to small, daily acts of kindness and understanding—tools, he said, capable of rebuilding trust.
“Each of you has the ability to do good in this world and change it for the better. Now it is only a matter of finding the drive to do so.”
A Walk of Redemption and Renewal
The journey to graduation looked different for each student, but few paths were as powerful as that of Michael Cheney, a graduate of the Moreau College Initiative—a program offering Holy Cross College degrees to incarcerated students at Westville Correctional Facility.
After earning his degree while incarcerated, Cheney walked across the stage as a free man.
“Coming from the prison environment to being released and walking at graduation here on campus—it’s just more than what words could say,” Cheney said.
Now a regular presence on campus as a volunteer with the Moreau College Initiative office, Cheney reflected on how the liberal arts—and the Holy Cross mission—changed how he thinks and lives.
“It opened my eyes through the critical thinking of the liberal arts… You have to dig into it… to find the truth of it.”
A Message of Enduring Hope
Delivering the 2025 Commencement address, Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., the Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, drew from his global ministry. Brother Paul offered the graduates a message of conviction and clarity rooted in hope.
“Don’t be swayed by that which is transient,” he said. “But be a person of hope that is transcendent and can be found when you have internalized—not only faith—but the internal values of your faith.”
He encouraged the class to cultivate grateful hearts, develop patience, and choose their companions and values with intention. His words were warmly received by students and families alike.
“It is my humble prayer that you too will live into that same true hope—for the sake of yourself, and for all of those who will have the privilege of knowing and loving you now and in the future,” he said.
President Clark encouraged the students to weather tough moments that may arrive after they graduate. As transformed individuals thanks to Holy Cross, they should trust in God’s love and mercy, dare to hope, and lead their lives with love.
“Ask not what God can do for you in your lives, but rather, ask God what He can do working through you in your daily lives,” the president said.
Student Mary Oberg delivered the invocation, praying that God would guide her classmates.
“Today, we step forward into the world,” Oberg said. “We pray that we will carry with us the heart of the Holy Cross mission: to be global citizens, formed in faith, with a competence to see clearly and to act courageously.”