Commencement Mass & Mass Schedule

Commencement Mass: Friday, May 13, 5PM, in the McLean Chapel

Reflections: Dr. Sheila Gibson, Associate Professor of Philosophy

Mass Schedule

Today, May 4, will be our last weekday Mass of the spring semester (5PM).

This Sunday, May 8, will be our final Sunday Mass, until Orientation, in the fall (August 21).

From the Prayer Before Study
by Thomas Aquinas

Ineffable Creator...
You are proclaimed
the true font of light and wisdom,
and the primal origin
raised high beyond all things.

Pour forth a ray of Your brightness
into the darkened places of my mind;
disperse from my soul the twofold darkness
into which I was born:
sin and ignorance.

You make eloquent the tongues of infants.
Refine my speech
and pour forth upon my lips
the goodness of Your blessing.

Grant to me keenness of mind,
capacity to remember,
skill in learning,
subtlety to interpret,
and eloquence in speech.

May You guide the beginning of my work,
direct its progress,
and bring it to completion.

You Who are true God and true Man,
Who live and reign,
world without end.

Amen

Prayer during Finals

God of Wisdom, I thank you for the knowledge gained and the learning experiences of the semester. I come to you this day and ask you to illuminate my mind and heart. Let your Spirit be with me as I prepare for exams, guiding my studies, and giving me insight so that I can perform to the best of my ability.

Please grant me the strength to handle the pressure during these final days of the semester, the confidence to feel secure in my knowledge, and the ability to keep an appropriate perspective through it all. Help me to keep in mind what is truly important, even as I focus my time and energy on these tests in the immediate future.

Finally, may I sense your peace in knowing that I applied myself to the challenges of this day.

Amen