News from 16th Street
AFTER HERCULEAN PLANNING by the Xavier administration, the 178th Commencement returned to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on July 31—the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. Mandatory precautions abounded, from masks to staggered entry and exit times. Rather than processing in and out of the Cathedral, graduates entered and exited with a maximum of two guests, with whom they were seated. But while it looked different, the magic of a St. Patrick’s graduation remained. “I want to thank all those who made this night possible, against all odds. Here we are, in person, face to face—well, mask to mask—celebrating our graduation,” salutatorian Timothee Kambouris ’20, bound for the University of Virginia, said in his welcome address. Echoed CalTech-bound valedictorian Michael Manta ’20: “I’m sure I speak for many of you when I say how grateful I am that we are under this hallowed roof tonight.”
XAVIER MAGAZINE
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