Torch bearers

Freshman Jessica Langella, representing Duchesne 3 East, raises a torch that has just been lit by William B. Neenan, SJ, special assistant to the president, and Joseph A. Appleyard, SJ, vice president for University Mission and Ministry. As they lit each of the 20 torches, Neenan and Appleyard gave the students this charge:

“Men and women of the Class of 2008: Welcome to the next stage of your journey! In your years at Boston College we urge you to grow in the spirit of Jesuit education. Learn to be attentive, to be reflective, and to be loving, so that when you walk in [the graduation] procession four years from now, you will be men and women who are wise and great-hearted, ready to make a difference in the world. Go set the world aflame!”

That final phrase, which had been designated the theme of the convocation, repeats the parting words of Ignatius Loyola to Francis Xavier, before the latter set out for Asia.