Hobart-Wm Smith president to speak at St. Bernard’s graduation

April 29, 2008

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Laura F. Hamilton, director of advancement, or Sr. Patricia Schoelles, President, (585) 271-3657

Hobart & William Smith Colleges president to speak at St. Bernard’s 2008 graduation ceremony May 9, 2008

St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry will celebrate its 2008 commencement at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Friday, May 9 at 4:30 p.m. Commencement speaker will be Mark D. Gearan, president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Degrees will be granted to 21 candidates from St. Bernard’s Rochester and Albany program, who have completed their study for the Master of Divinity, and Master of Arts in Theology or Pastoral Studies. Graduate Certificates in Pastoral Studies will also be awarded, as well as certificates in lay leadership and ministries.

President Gearan, prior to his appointment to Hobart and William Smith in 1999, served as director of the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C., a post he assumed in 1995. He has also served in the White House as assistant to the president and director of communications, as well as deputy chief of staff during the Clinton Administration. Gearan is a graduate of Harvard College and Georgetown University Law School. His early involvement in politics began in the office of the late Representative Robert Drinan, who was a Roman Catholic priest. Gearan’s commitment to public life and service is rooted in his life-long Catholicism, and his remarks at the commencement ceremony will focus on his vision of Catholicism and public life.

“The need for lay leaders in the Catholic church continues to grow. Our graduates help fill this growing need in the various ministries within the Catholic church and throughout the community,” said St. Bernard’s president, Sr. Patricia A. Schoelles, SSJ. “We are pleased that Dr. Gearan will be able to share some of his insight and experiences in civic engagement with our graduates.”

St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry is a Roman Catholic graduate and professional school educating men and women to serve the church and the community through lay and ordained ministries.For more information about St. Bernard’s, call (585) 271-3657 or visit www.stbernards.edu.