Ahead of commencement on Friday, May 22, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) honored the hard work and achievements of its graduating class with a series of special events on Thursday. Designed to celebrate the graduates’ dedication and accomplishments while highlighting the close-knit Catholic Law community, the day’s events showcased the many connections that define the law school experience. These opening festivities included the Ex Corde Ceremony, the Certificate Ceremony, a Mass of Thanksgiving, and the Class of 2026 Friends and Family Celebration. Together, these gatherings gave students, faculty, staff, and loved ones a chance to reflect on their shared journey and honor the strong community bonds formed during their time at the university.
The Ex Corde Ceremony celebrated the graduating fellows of the Center for Law and the Human Person and the Center for the Constitution and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. The Ex Corde Fellowship operates as a joint program between these two centers to provide students interested in the Catholic intellectual tradition with dedicated programming, such as reading groups like Tolle et Lege, retreats, conferences, and social outings. The fellowship requires no formal application and remains open to students throughout the law school and the broader university community. The law school awards the Ex Corde Fellow designation upon graduation to students who participate significantly in these formation activities. During the ceremony, Professors Elizabeth Kirk and Chad Squitieri presented the well-earned certificates and cords to the graduating fellows.
Following this, the annual Certificate Ceremony recognized graduates who completed specialized programs of study. Stephen C. Payne, Dean and Knights of Columbus Professor of Law, welcomed attendees to the Certificate Ceremony. Dedicated faculty and program leaders presented certificates to the students, including Christopher S. Ross, John Polanin Jr., Brian G. Svoboda, Megan M. La Belle, Elizabeth I. Winston, and Jack W. Murphy. Together, these distinguished leaders represented an impressive breadth of academic opportunity at Catholic Law, including programs in Comparative and International Law, Corporate Responsibility and Compliance, Law and Public Policy, Law and Technology, and Securities Law.
The ceremony also highlighted notable student achievements across several programs, with the Law and Public Policy Program presenting the Dulin Haynes Fellowship to Alexa Cahill and Victoria Biondolillo, the Law and Technology Institute presenting the Harvey L. Zuckman Scholarship Award to Jared Vallejos, and the Securities Law Program presenting Scholarship Awards to Audrey Anderle, Atticus Keane, and Hali Woods. After the faculty distributed the certificates and awards, attendees gathered for a lively celebratory reception in the Atrium to mingle and congratulate the graduates.
The festivities continued with a beautiful Mass of Thanksgiving held in the St. Vincent DePaul Chapel on campus. Rev. Raymond C. O’Brien and Rev. Vincent Castaldi served as the celebrants for the service, which featured active participation from members of the Class of 2026. Alexander Kagan served as a greeter, Kierra Giarrusso and Andrew Lewis delivered the readings, Thomas Showalter led the Prayer of the Faithful, and Sarah Webster and her parents presented the offertory gifts.
The day concluded with a vibrant Class celebration in Heritage Hall, where Student Bar Association President Sofia Guirguis ’26 delivered a speech that joyfully celebrated the enduring community of Catholic Law and sent the graduates forward with a strong sense of unity.