PROVIDENCE — Nine hundred and seventy-five men and women crossed the stage of Amica Mutual Pavilion to receive their degrees as the 107th graduating class of Providence College on May 18. Father Kenneth Sicard, OP, Ph.D., alumnus and college president, opened the commencement ceremony, and Monsignor Albert Kenney, also an alumnus from the class of 1989, gave the invocation, thanking God for the graduates, as well as the families, teachers and coaches who have supported them through their educational experience.
“The class of 2025 departs today ready to lead, to serve and to shine,” Father Sicard said in his remarks. “We are immensely proud of each of you and eagerly anticipate your bright futures.”
“You are not the same person who arrived four years ago,” he stated, expressing his hopes that Providence College had nurtured the values instilled in students from their families and “brought you closer to the amazing people God created you to be.” He added his wish that the college’s emphasis on Catholic identity would bring students closer to “the God who loves and treasures you.”
He further told the graduates that because of the skills learned at PC, “You will make your mark on the world,” then wished them joy in their journey forward, congratulating them once more for their achievement.
Seven men and women received honorary degrees for service to their communities and PC: Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston and former Bishop of Providence; Michael Cox, Boston Police Commissioner; Kerri Murray, president of ShelterBox USA; Ann Manchester-Molak, with a 40-plus year career at PC; Brother Ignatius Perkins O.P., Ph.D., RN, chair of the Department of Nursing; Christopher Reilly, who served on the board of directors for 16 years and Ronald Stride, retired SVP and Managing Partner-Asia of Booz Allen & Hamilton.
Delivering the keynote address was Judge Frank Caprio, PC graduate class of 1958. From his humble beginnings, Judge Caprio rose to an impressive 38-year service as a municipal court judge and star of television show “Caught in Providence.” He also served for 10 years as chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education and wrote “Compassion in the Court, a Memoir of Life-changing Stories from America’s Nicest Judge.”
He gave his speech with humor, sending ripples of laughter and applause through the newly graduated class. He recalled his own graduation decades before, calling it “the proudest moment for my entire family.” As a second-generation Italian American immigrant, Judge Caprio was the first among his numerous family members growing up on Federal Hill to have graduated college, “and Providence College gave me the chance for a better life, and more importantly, to fulfil my father’s dream.”
He shared stories about his life as the son of a milkman, who woke at four each morning to help his father deliver bottles of milk in tenement housing on Federal Hill. At age 12, his father told him, “If you don’t want to do this for the rest of your life, then study hard and go to college.,” The crowd cheered these words of wisdom.
Next, he elaborated on his illustrious career on the bench, saying that “I heard every excuse.”
“However, I rarely found myself tolerating the people brought before me. I almost rather appreciated them every time.”
How could that be, he asked those present. Just like other judges, he wore the traditional robe, but said that: “Under my robe, I didn’t wear a badge, I wore a heart.” This, too, was met with applause. “I approached each case with an open mind and treated everyone equally, with kindness, compassion and most of all, common sense. … This is a moral philosophy taught to me by my parents at home and right here at Providence College.”
Judge Caprio cautioned graduates that while they were expected to leave a positive mark on the world, they would face challenges, too. “Obviously, there will be setbacks, disappointments and the rare failure. How you handle them will be the real challenge. It’s your reaction to those moments that will define your career.” He strongly advised them to never give up in those cases.
The pancreatic cancer he currently battles steals his strength, he said, “But it can’t take my faith, it can’t take my heart, and it can’t take my message” – which was this: to “leave the ladder down” for others to follow when success is achieved.
One of the graduates, Sam Seda, spoke with Rhode Island Catholic after commencement. A native of Providence, Seda transferred to PC after his freshman year studying online at the University of Steubenville. He double majored in theology and humanities, earning a spot among the top of his class with a 4.0 GPA.
Graduating, he said, is “a little bit unbelievable.”
He recalled starting at PC three years ago and reflected on his growth since then. While he started out as a theology major, it was through his journey at PC that he felt called to study it on a higher level, continuing his graduate studies next year at the University of Notre Dame.
“It allowed me to tap into the deep tradition of the Dominican Order. Also, by studying theology … it enabled me to, again, tap into the richness of the Catholic traditions, the richness of the teachings of the Church, which is something that has been deeply formative for me spiritually and intellectually as well.”
His semester of study overseas at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome “was life changing. It’s one of the most formative experiences I’ve had in my life and something that I will always carry with me and certainly will be central to my memory as I continue in graduate studies at Notre Dame,” Seda said.
Having small class sizes aided Seda on his route to a doctorate in theology, as the professors he formed relationships with at PC guided him through the application process and provided letters of recommendation.
“I was truly blessed to have the opportunity to attend PC.”
