Graduations were fully in-person this year at the four universities of the Archdiocese of Newark. Caldwell University in Caldwell, Felician University in Rutherford, Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, and Seton Hall University in South Orange all held packed venues as they celebrated the Class of 2022.

Messages of faith, perseverance, and hope for the future underpinned speeches. Voices echoed the possibilities of what a Catholic education can bring into the workforce. And as Cardinal Tobin noted in his remarks to Seton Hall’s Class of 2022, those graduating have a “shared responsibility for using knowledge to work for peace, sustainable development and greater respect for human beings as well as this world, which is our common home.”

Caldwell University

Caldwell University celebrated its 80th commencement on Sunday, May 15 in the Newmann Center on its campus.

President Matthew Whelan, Ed.D, addressed the graduates and noted their perseverance and resilience to get to this point. As for the Class of 2022’s future, he had a simple, meaningful message: “Be kind and you will change the world for the better,” adding that “God has a plan. You have a plan and together you will figure out that plan.”

(9 pictures in the slideshow below.)

Caldwell University Commencement on May 15, 2022 at Newmann Center. Courtesy of Caldwell University.

The undergraduate speaker was Yaman Thapa and the graduate speaker was Patricia Valerio. Thapa, a native of Nepal who received a chemistry degree and will pursue a Ph.D., had this to say: “We have transformed our hardships into wisdom, and we will carry Caldwell University’s core values forward in our pursuit of truth.”

In regard to the road forward, Valerio, an MBA recipient, stated that Caldwell graduates are well prepared for whatever landscape they may face: “This is a group that is not only not apprehensive of change but also one that has made efforts to welcome those challenges into our lives.”

Louis Lasalle was the recipient of an honorary degree from the university. Lasalle recently retired as senior vice president for corporate external affairs at Barnabas Health in West Orange, N.J.

Sister Donna L. Ciangio, O.P., D.Min. ’71, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Newark and secretary of the board of trustees at Caldwell, gave the benediction for the undergraduate ceremony.

The full recap of Caldwell’s graduation is available here.

Felician University

A record amount of more than 3,000 people attended Felician University’s 58th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 21 at The Rink at American Dream in East Rutherford, N.J. Over 600 degrees were conferred.

Jeh Charles Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security under the Obama Administration, received an honorary degree and delivered the commencement address. Johnson urged the graduates to continue working hard and pushing limits: “You are smarter than you think, stronger than you know. Dig down a little deeper, stay up a little later, work a little harder, and you will reach new heights that you did not think were possible for yourself.”

(8 pictures in the slideshow below.)

Felician University Commencement on May 21, 2022 at The Rink at American Dream. Courtesy of Felician University.

Reflecting on the ceremony, Felician University President James W. Crawford, III remarked, “There was a remarkable energy throughout the event. Felician University is on a journey to expand the boundaries around us to become the institution that I know all of you desire and our students, past, present, and future, deserve.”

Find Felician University’s full account of its commencement here.

Saint Peter’s University

Saint Peter’s University held its 130th commencement on Thursday, May 26 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J. A total of 878 students graduated.

The commencement speaker for the ceremony was Rev. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., D. Min., pastor Emeritus at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens and former secretary of State of New Jersey. During the ceremony, he referenced the tradition of the school, its Jesuit roots, and offered a challenge to the graduates in attendance.

“In addition to celebrating the 150th year anniversary of Saint Peter’s University, we are also celebrating some significant developments in the life of the founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, including his conversion 500 years ago. The reality is whenever you are a beneficiary of a tradition that is 500 years old, yet is impactful on your life, the challenge is what will people think of you 500 years from now? Ignatius leaves for us a challenge in this room to not be so preoccupied with the right now that we don’t make an investment in what God wants for other people’s lives in the ‘not yet.’ That is your assignment.”  

(10 pictures in the slideshow below.)

Saint Peter’s University Commencement on May 26, 2022 at PNC Bank Arts Center. Courtesy of Saint Peter’s University.

Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University, remarked on the ceremony, saying: “As graduates of the Class of 2022 crossed the stage, I was awed by the passion and perseverance that brought them there, the enthusiasm and gratitude of their families and friends, and not least of all, the joy and pride in the faces of the faculty, staff, and administrators. It was a great day in the lives of these young people who go on to positions of leadership and service in a world that so desperately needs their gifts and talents.”

In addition to Rev. Soaries, honorary degrees were conferred to Nadia Makar ’69, ’81 STEM supervisor for Union City Board of Education, Carolyn Palmer, internationally-recognized sculptor; and Judith Valente ’76, award-winning journalist and published poet.

Read more about the commencement honorees here.

Seton Hall University

Seton Hall University celebrated its 166th commencement on Tuesday, May 24 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. A total of 2,324 students graduated.

University President Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D., addressed the many graduates and their guests, saying “Class of 2022: Lean into life — both its opportunities and its struggles. Be deliberate in your actions. Hold fast to your dreams. Be swift to offer friendship, and just as swift to defend your principles. Cherish the less fortunate. Champion those who cannot speak for themselves. Count yourselves among the givers, not the takers. The fearless, not the frightened.”

(14 pictures in the slideshow below.)

Seton Hall University Commencement on May 24, 2022 at Prudential Center. Courtesy of Seton Hall University.

Among those to receive honorary degrees from the university were Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark. Secretary-General Guterres delivered the commencement address and noted that it’s not necessarily the degree, but the skills learned in college, that will stay with the graduates.

He spoke from personal experience: “Over four decades ago, I graduated university as an engineer. But I confess — I have never practiced engineering. What I ultimately took from my training went far beyond electronics or telecommunications. The most important skills I gained from my education were ‘learning how to learn,’ how to work with others, how to communicate ideas, and — above all — how to make a difference in the world.”

Cardinal Tobin delivered the Invocation for the commencement, in addition to some remarks for the graduating class: “Today the presence of Dr. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, is a visible reminder of our shared responsibility for using knowledge to work for peace, sustainable development and greater respect for human beings as well as this world, which is our common home,” said Cardinal Tobin. “Dr. Guterres reminds us how great are the challenges we face. The presence of these graduates indicate how generous can be our response.”

To read the full recap of Seton Hall’s graduation, click here.

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Featured image: An aerial view of Felician University’s 2022 commencement ceremony at The Rink at American Dream.