110th Saint Joseph’s College of Maine Commencement Weekend Arrives

STANDISH---The 110th Saint Joseph’s College of Maine Commencement is set for Saturday, May 13, at 10 a.m. at the college’s Sebago Lake campus in Standish. Bishop Robert Deeley will offer the invocation and the benediction during the commencement ceremony. On Friday, May 12, Bishop Deeley will open Commencement Weekend by celebrating an outdoor Baccalaureate Mass at 10:45 a.m. under the tent that will be erected on campus. Students and faculty will robe and march in procession for the Mass. There will be no assigned seating for family and friends. Tickets are not required. The Baccalaureate Mass and Saturday’s Commencement, as well as the nursing pinning ceremony (Friday at 2:30 p.m.), will all be livestreamed for those who cannot attend.

Sam Randall, a Pownal native and Freeport High School graduate, will deliver the valedictory address at Commencement. Randall is an elementary education major and participates in the Student Education Association of Maine (SEAM) in which education students do service projects and events for the students in their communities. He plans to start a teaching career in Maine with a goal of helping the next generation succeed and prepare for the future.

Paige Yontz, a Des Moines, Iowa native, will serve as the online student speaker at Commencement. She received bachelor’s degrees in accounting and business management from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Yontz, who holds a license as a nursing home administrator and has served as a practice manager, is completing her master’s degree in health administration at Saint Joseph’s while working at the state and federal level to advocate for legislation that protects, uplifts, and supports older Iowans. Her ultimate professional goal is to take her experience and education back to the classroom and become a professor.

In addition, three senior students will offer reflections during Commencement: Maria Perez, a double major in human resource management and marketing; Adam Martin, a double major in psychology and criminal justice; and Amaya Dacier, who majors in social work.

Saint Joseph’s College of Maine was founded in 1912, originally based on the grounds of the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse in Portland and moved to the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish in 1956. Rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the doctrines of
the Catholic Church and the Sisters of Mercy, the values of Saint Joseph’s College are the foundation of its educational mission: faith, excellence, integrity, community, respect, compassion, and justice.