OLLU Convocation Address by Sister Pearl Ceasar, CDP
Good morning. Thank you, Father Kevin, and thank you, Dr. Melby, for inviting me today. Welcome again, Bishop Janak. Today we gather to celebrate the mission of Our Lady of the Lake University, you, the faculty and staff, and the students, and the Congregation of Divine Providence who founded OLLU 125 years ago. We will also honor outstanding faculty and staff.
This past year, OLLU experienced many challenges due to COVID. The virus impacted all of us. Some of you have not been on campus for over a year. OLLU acted immediately to ensure your safety, and you remained socially distant by studying, working and teaching from home.
Today, we acknowledge our shared emotions. Because of COVID, many of us experienced tension, fear, anxiety, uncertainty and disruption of our daily routines. We can choose to turn this frustration in on ourselves, or by embracing our fears, we can turn them into a motivation and passion for action.
In the midst of COVID and its challenges, OLLU was working on its accreditation. To put this current challenge into perspective, I will reflect with you on one of the many difficult situations upon which this university was built.
In 1917, Texas passed a law authorizing the Department of Education to inspect and accredit colleges in the state. Our Lady of the Lake Academy opened as an all-girls high school in 1896. Our Lady of the Lake College began in 1911 as a two-year college for women. The Congregation applied to have Our Lady of the Lake become an accredited college. This rating was granted in 1918.
Up to this time, both high school and college classes were held in the main building. But with the recognition of the college and according to state law, the two groups had to be in separate buildings. This created a dilemma: the campus only had one building.
For the first time in the Congregation, there was a division as to its future goals. One group saw the present linked with the future; they believed the college was essential to the future of both the Congregation and education. The other group looked at the present. The Sisters were staffing seventy-eight schools from small grade schools to large high schools, mostly in poor areas. World War 1 had just ended. The world was in chaos. The first group felt that the college had to be expanded even if the Congregation had to go into debt; it had to take the risk. The second group disagreed. All of the Sisters voted. The majority voted to expand the college.
After the vote and for the greater good, the Sisters put their differences aside; they united, went into debt, expanded the college and ensured a faith-based education from elementary school through college. That is how all of us got here today.
Similar to the Sisters in 1918, today the university faces obstacles. However, with faith in Divine Providence we will overcome them. The legacy of the Sisters which is in your DNA and your dedication to OLLU’s mission have already led to its many successes.
Our Congregation is especially proud of three major achievements of 2021:
- OLLU was ranked in the top 100 producers of graduate degrees among minorities including Hispanic, African-American, and Native American graduates.
- OLLU has the nation’s largest percentage of Hispanic degree-seeking undergraduates among private universities. OLLU ranks number one among San Antonio universities and number eight nationally.
- OLLU is one of the few schools in the U.S. to offer an online bachelor’s, master’s and PhD in social work.
These accomplishments demonstrate the resilience and strength that we have through our shared mission and goals. We may feel like our present obstacles are insurmountable. However, if we are faithful to God’s call, clear about our goals, and united in our mission then we will continue to have the strength and endurance to overcome any barriers and turn them into opportunities. Those being honored today are showing us the path. Our hope is that we are all passionate, hopeful, and visionary in our mission.
Thank you and have a wonderful, faith-filled year.