by Michael Rizzo 

JAMAICA — Don’t play it safe. That message was the focus of the commencement address by Archbishop Richard Henning of Boston to the St. John’s University Class of 2026 on May 17.  

To Archbishop Henning, who received his bachelor’s degree in history from St. John’s exactly 40 years ago, it was a connection to his own episcopal motto, “Put Out Into The Deep,” where he said there’s the chance to “meet the good God who has yet more wonders to reveal to you.” 

“Risk heartbreak by getting married and starting families,” he told the 2,158 graduates, who, with thousands more relatives and friends in attendance, sat under a sun-filled sky for the ceremony on the university’s Jamaica campus. “Risk it by committing yourself to the work of lifelong friendships. Risk it by giving your time, talent, and sweat when there is no earthly reward for your efforts.  

“Risk it by loving imperfect people like yourself.” 

Archbishop Henning said a great influence on his thinking and motto was Pope St. John Paul II.   

“I can remember even in elementary school hearing him use that phrase from the Gospel and really challenging young people,” he said. “It was so influential and shaped me and I think it fits the moment.” 

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Before the program began, Archbishop Henning told The Tablet that he hopes students focus on who they are as people as they move on with their lives. 

“The genuine lasting joy that endures, even in the face of hardship and suffering, is the joy that comes from human connections,” he said. “My hope for this class is that they find that kind of deep joy of commitment to community, of generosity for others.  

“I think that’s really what the Lord calls us to do” 

A friend, fellow alumnus, and colleague of the archbishop at the Sunday commencement was Bishop Robert Brennan, who gave the invocation.  

Bishop Brennan graduated from St. John’s in 1984. 

“I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s exciting. It brings back a lot of memories about our time here on the campus, both of us before we were in the seminary,” Bishop Brennan said of Archbishop Henning being invited to speak.  

Bishop Brennan’s thoughts about the graduates?  

“These are young people who are seeking the pursuit of truth and around us we can see more and more the presence of God,” he said. “I always use the terms bold, joyful and unapologetic because we believe that what we’re professing is an absolute truth.”  

In his address, Archbishop Henning, who also received an honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the university, spoke of the golden calf crafted by the ancient Israelites and compared it to 21st-century life.  

“Our society may not be in the business of building and worshiping literal golden calves, but we have built for ourselves the possibility of a nearly frictionless, insulated life of endless distractions, endless scrolling, endless options, a false infinity, a false God,” he said. “Don’t settle for it. Look higher. Go deeper. Real, life-changing faith involves taking risks. Faith sometimes calls us into hard times, hard times that stretch us not to break us down but to break us open.” 

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Among the students who reflected on his words was 41-year-old Medgie Desir, a sport management major and parishioner at St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Mill Basin.  

“Life is meant to be lived,” she said of what struck her from the archbishop’s remarks. “When you put God first, then you believe in yourself, you can get it done.” 

For 22-year-old Robert Lombardi, a parishioner of Holy Trinity in Whitestone, a homeland security major and university gold medalist with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, the archbishop’s address was a connection to his future. 

“When he talked about the next chapter of your life, it told me to never stop learning, to never stop growing.”