Aquinas College Commencement 2026

Friday, May 1st, was a day of both reflection and joyful celebration at the Aquinas Center where Aquinas College held its Baccalaureate Mass and Sixty-fourth Commencement Ceremony. Fr. Luke Wilgenbusch, Adjunct Instructor of Theology, presided over the Mass as the main celebrant and delivered the homily, with Fr. John Sims Baker, Pastor of Holy Rosary Church and longtime friend of the College, concelebrating the Mass.

Mr. Gregory Pope, Chief Administrative Officer for the Diocese of Nashville, gave the Commencement Address, recalling a memorable encounter he had years back with a with a Dominican Sister from the St. Cecilia Congregation during a flight from Minneapolis to Nashville and reminding the graduates of the various ways they might profoundly impact and inspire their own students as they witness to Truth and Charity. Sister Cecilia Anne Wanner, O.P., President of Aquinas College, conferred degrees upon the candidates, who were presented by Dr. Bill Smart, Vice President for Academics.

Aquinas College bestows bachelor’s and master’s degrees upon individuals who are “joyful witnesses of Christ sent forth to teach and preach in Truth and Charity for the salvation of souls and the transformation of culture.” The graduates were Sister Helena Cecilia Sicking, O.P. (Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education), Sister Claire Eilis Blackwell, O.P. (M.A. in Teaching – Elementary Education), Sister Raphaela Eggleston, O.P. (M.A. in Teaching – Elementary Education), Sister Mary Simon Roderick, O.P. (M.A. in Teaching – Elementary Education), Sister Evangeline Marie Burr, O.P. (M.A. in Teaching – Secondary Education), Sister Christina Kruepke, O.P. (M.A. in Teaching – Secondary Education), and Sister Monica Baptiste Whelan, O.P. (M.A. in Teaching – Secondary Education). Sister Jordan Caeli Geiger, O.P., and Sister Immaculata Marie Policare, O.P., received the School of Education’s recently revived Master of Education degree.

As Aquinas College’s Class of 2026 prepares to serve as educators at Catholic schools in different parts of the country, they might ponder the words of our institution’s namesake, St. Thomas Aquinas:  “Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.”