May 15, 2024
commencement cap
Graduates shared gratitude for their journey at the University. (Catholic University/Patrick G. Ryan)

Commencement at The Catholic University of America was more than a graduation ceremony. It was a week celebrating years of achievements, bonds created, careers launched, and legacies cemented.

The Conway School of Nursing’s pinning ceremony on May 9 in the lower crypt of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a beloved rite of passage celebrating the graduates.

May 10 was a busy day that featured the Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) induction, The Honors Convocation, and the graduate Baccalaureate Mass.

The 135th annual Commencement ceremony, held May 11 on the East Portico of the Basilica, was filled with emotion. Students shared last embraces, thanked one another for their fellowship, and listened to a stirring address from actor Jonathan Roumie, star of the streaming series The Chosen.

jonathan roumie
Jonathan Roumie accepted an honorary doctorate and brought along a stethoscope for his address to graduates. (Catholic University/Patrick G. Ryan) 

“You must surrender,” Roumie said. “You’re not in charge, God is. I cannot underscore this enough. I would not be here with you today if God had not brought me to my knees in utter desperation to surrender my entire life and specifically my career – something I had never done before – over to Him.”

Look back at the week with a slideshow of images by University photographer Patrick G. Ryan and Denny Henry.