CNN Vatican Analyst Delivers Commencement Address

From Assumption College: This spring, Assumption College will celebrate its centennial commencement, an event that has evolved and grown tremendously, from two graduates in the Class of 1917 to nearly 700 in the Class of 2017 who will receive either an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree or certificate of advanced graduate study. While much has changed since that inaugural ceremony, the College’s commitment to educating students in the Catholic tradition has endured.

To commemorate this milestone, John L. Allen, Jr., editor of Crux, a publication that focuses on news of the Vatican and Catholic Church, will deliver the address at the College’s 100th Commencement exercises on Sunday, May 14 at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. Allen, Mary Lou Jennings, executive director of the Sister Thea Bowman Black Catholic Educational Foundation, and Roberta Schaefer, Ph.D., founder and former president of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, will receive honorary degrees during the ceremony recognizing their dedicated work to community service and living lives that reflect the values of the College’s mission that include critical intelligence, thoughtful citizenship and compassionate service

Allen—who is a senior Vatican analyst for CNN and served as correspondent for the National Catholic Reporterfor 16 years—has written nine books on the Holy See and Catholic affairs, and is a popular speaker on Catholicism both in the United States and internationally. According to the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, his reporting is “possibly the best source of information on the Vatican published in the United States.” The London Tablet has called Allen “the most authoritative writer on Vatican affairs in the English language,” and renowned papal biographer George Weigel has called him “the best Anglophone Vatican reporter ever.”

“John Allen is a prolific journalist and the College is proud to welcome an internationally renowned writer to address the candidates for graduation during our 100th Commencement ceremony,” said Assumption College President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. “Through his work as editor at Crux, Mr. Allen has worked to soften what he calls ‘the Catholic divide.’ Having Mr. Allen deliver his message to our students during this historic 100thcommencement ceremony is a reminder that the College was born from the rich, Catholic tradition, and of our duty to continue to ‘Light the Way’ for others.”

Allen received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Fort Hays State University and a master's degree in religious studies from the University of Kansas. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, Ontario; Lewis University in Romeoville, IL; St. Michael’s College in Colchester, VT.; and the University of Dallas, in Dallas, TX.

In addition to delivering the Commencement address, Allen will receive an honorary degree. Honorary degrees will also be conferred upon Mary Lou Jennings and Roberta Schaefer, Ph.D.

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