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Truth, wisdom, and peace — for the 90 members of the 51���� Class of 2026 who graduated at today’s California Commencement ceremonies, these are the ideals that will guide their future.

The College’s 52^nd California Commencement began with the Baccalaureate Mass of the Holy Spirit in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, with Rev. Luke J. Mata, Ph.D., of the prelature of Opus Dei serving as the principal celebrant, joined at the altar by several visiting and alumni priests. In his homily, Fr. Mata reflected on truth — a TAC student’s primary pursuit — and reminded all present that “Truth is a Person, and His name is Jesus.”

“The entire structure of this college was designed to do something no curriculum alone can do: It was designed to teach you to love the truth,” he said. “And if truth is a Person — if truth is finally the Trinitarian God revealed in Jesus Christ — then to love the truth means to love Him, to develop a personal relationship not just with an idea but with each one of the three divine Persons.”

The Commencement ceremony started soon after the Mass. Led by the beadle, the Class of 2026, the College’s Board of Governors, and the faculty solemnly processed onto the academic quadrangle. There, President Paul J. O’Reilly gave the opening remarks, thanking guests, friends, and family for attending.

next stepped up to the podium, reflecting on wisdom and the effect that its pursuit has on one’s peers — namely, an outpouring of love and joy. “Our time here together has come to a close,” he concluded. “But our attainment of wisdom has only begun. And our love for God, and for our neighbors as ourselves, is not beginning now, but has also already begun, and will continue to grow with our attainment of wisdom.”

Dr. O’Reilly then introduced this year’s Commencement Speaker, the Hon. Brian F. Burch II, 13^th United States Ambassador to the Holy See. Ambassador Burch followed on these considerations of truth and wisdom with a reflection on peace, offering examples of proximate, political peace and what St. Augustine calls “the perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of God, and of one another in God,” as well as how they come together to achieve tranquilitas ordinis — the tranquility of order — which can prove elusive in a culture predicated on fleeting pleasures.

“In this environment, your formation here at Thomas Aquinas has equipped you uniquely to resist these illusions and to become both examples and advocates of genuine peace,” he said. “Graduates, the education you received here — rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition — has not been a luxury. It has been preparation for this very mission: to seek the tranquility of order in your souls, and to labor, with hope and perseverance, for a more just and peaceful world.”

After applauding the Ambassador’s words, the seniors took turns ascending the stage and, presented with academic hoods and diplomas, became alumni of 51���� — to the cheers and delight of their classmates, friends, and families. To conclude the ceremony, Dr. O’Reilly read the College’s “Charge to the Graduates,” imploring them to put their liberal education to the service of Christ and the common good.

“You are charged, beginning this day, with maintaining, defending, and  protecting your Catholic heritage,” he began. “You must strive in your  lives to live for God alone, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and to insist, in season and out of season, on the primacy of Peter and the Church he governs.”

In response, the members of the California Class of 2026 sang William Byrd’s Non Nobis Domine, giving all glory to God. “That was beautiful, thank you,” said Fr. Mata, taken aback by the four-part harmony as he prepared to deliver his benediction, then paused. “I am still a little moved by it. Hold on, give me a second!”

The graduates then processed to St. Joseph Commons, where they tossed their mortarboards into the sky in grateful celebration. 

More photos from the Baccalaureate Mass ...

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... and the Commencement Ceremony!