COMMENCEMENT ceremonies were held at St Mary’s University College to celebrate the success of students in Initial Teacher Education, Liberal Arts, Irish-medium Education, Religious Education as well as Physical Education and Sport.
The recently installed Bishop of Down and Connor, Rev Dr Alan McGuickan SJ, attended each of the ceremonies. Commencement speakers included Jill Garland, Malachy O’Rourke and Sean Ward.
Students were joined by their families and friends as well as college staff and governors. They were greeted and congratulated on each occasion by the College Principal, Professor Peter Finn KSG who commented that “the Commencement ceremonies bring our college community together as one, they celebrate student success and welcome parents and friends to the campus.”
He added: “St Mary’s was founded in 1899 and continues to this day to offer high quality educational programmes at the Falls Road campus. The college is an integral part of the local community with over one hundred organisations using our facilities each year. In recent times we have invested over £30 million in new campus facilities to ensure that St Mary’s remains a very attractive place to study, visit and work.”
St Mary’s welcomed Majella Corrigan, Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS); Maria Thomasson, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG); Prof Judy William, Queen’s University Belfast; and Caoimhín MacColaim, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), to its Commencement ceremonies
