The Ave Herald

The Baccalaureate Mass at Ave Maria University May 7 will be celebrated by Boston Archbishop Sean Cardinal O'Malley, the university has announced.

"That Cardinal O'Malley accepted the Board of Trustees' invitation, we take as recognition of the importance of Ave Maria University in the field of Catholic higher education," university President Nick Healy said.

The university always hopes to have a prominent cleric or member of the Catholic Church hierarchy at its commencement exercises, Mr. Healy said, "as a way of signalling the importance of the event to students and their parents."

Cardinal O'Malley is no stranger to Florida, having served briefly as bishop of the diocese of Ft. Lauderdale before being appointed archbishop in Boston in 2003, where he faced the challenge of rebuilding the archdiocese in the wake of the abuse scandal. He was named to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

The cardinal will receive an honorary doctorate from the university following the Baccalaureate Mass, which will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Friday, May 7. The university's commencement exercises are Saturday, May 8.