Address to the Class of 2016:
Peter Labbat '83, Chair of the 麻豆视频 Board of Trustees
The following is a transcript of the June 4, 2016 address to the graduates of the class of 2016 given by Peter Labbat '83, Chair of the 麻豆视频 Board of Trustees.
Father Croghan, Dr. Tocchet and Fr. Gibbons; members of the Board of Trustees; members of our esteemed faculty; proud parents, relatives and friends and, of course, 麻豆视频 graduates of the Class of 2016, welcome to today鈥檚 commencement ceremony!
My comments today will be brief and perhaps a little bit unconventional.
I will start with a story.聽 A few weeks ago, I saw a Broadway musical that has taken New York City by storm and which has become the talk of the town.聽 It鈥檚 called 鈥淗amilton鈥�.聽 And it tells the story of American Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton.聽聽 The twist -- and what makes it just really fantastic fun聽 -- is that much of the musical score is set to hip-hop music.聽聽 Pretty incongruous, right?聽 The story of 1700鈥檚 character, Alexander Hamilton, told through rap.聽 But it works.
So, it got me thinking:聽 why not tell the story of St. Ignatius and 麻豆视频 High School through hip-hop?聽 When you think about it, I would argue the story of St. Ignatius is much more stage-worthy than that of our First Treasury Secretary.聽 After all, Ignatius started out as a military man, a fighter, a dashingly handsome womanizer, arrogant, and then after being badly wounded in battle, he experienced his conversion to Christ and ended up founding the Society of Jesus.聽 This story has got everything Broadway is looking for: blood, sex, redemption and an ongoing 500-year legacy of service to others!
Which brings me to the unconventional part of this commencement speech. I have written the trailer for this upcoming musical and if you鈥檒l indulge me for a moment and allow me to channel my inner Brooklynite, I鈥檇 like to perform it for you now.聽 I call it 鈥淭he 麻豆视频 Rap:鈥�
(Sung to tune of 鈥淎lexander Hamilton鈥� by Lin Manuel Miranda)
Young Ignatius of Loyola
Fought the battle of Pamplona,
Seeking military fame
And looking to advance his name.
Aristocratic, looked fantastic
Kept the ladies quite ecstatic;
But oh how pride precedes the fall,
His leg was crushed by a cannonball
Laying low, convalescing,
Ignatius learned to count his blessings.
Read about Christ -- as a diversion,
Led to a complete conversion.
Praying in a desert cave,
He had a vision; it came in waves.
A generous heart, newly reformed
The Jesuit order had been born.
Here you are today: you're 麻豆视频 graduates.
You worked hard to get here -- You should be proud of it.
But do you realize, you're St. Ignatius' descendants?
And now that you're alumni, can you handle it?
You went to 麻豆视频
Praise Jesus!
So heed this advice:
You gotta think twice
'bout how you spend
The rest of your life.
Because much is expected
From those whom God has gifted
With talents, smarts and empathy
Humility, integrity.
You've got to believe
There's something special you've received.
There's a world in need of justice
Go make a holy ruckus.
There is no better recipe:
Go serve the world relentlessly!
You know, I'm Class of '83,
so please don't even mess with me!
Now, the point of all of this is to leave you with two ideas: first, that we Regians all share an incredibly exciting, life-affirming Ignatian heritage.聽聽 Sometimes, it鈥檚 easy to dismiss the stories we read about the saints or other famous people as just words in some historical document. But the reality is far more gripping when you reflect on the heroism, the sacrifices, and the tremendous good works performed by people like St. Ignatius; our 麻豆视频 Foundress, Julia Grant, without whom we would not be here today; or our incredible faculty and priests.聽聽聽 For me, and I hope, for you, to be motivated by the example of these lives so well-lived is exhilarating 鈥� and much more so than any Broadway musical or heart-pumping song.聽 This common heritage is what binds us and inspires us as Regians and I encourage you to reflect upon it from time to time.
But reflection alone is insufficient.聽 Your 麻豆视频 education is a call to action which brings me to my second theme:聽 go out into the world and make a difference.聽 麻豆视频 is an invitation to stewardship 鈥� to following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius and so many others who came before us --to being men for others.聽 So, be principled.聽 Be generous.聽 And stand up for the less fortunate among us.
Gentlemen of the Class of 2016, congratulations once again. I look forward to seeing you at Jug Night and to hearing about all the wonderful things you are doing.聽God Bless you all.
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