Text 4579, 243 rader
Skriven 2007-05-11 23:31:04 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0705118) for Fri, 2007 May 11
====================================================

===========================================================================
President Bush Delivers Commencement Address at St. Vincent College
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 11, 2007

President Bush Delivers Commencement Address at St. Vincent College
Latrobe, Pennsylvania

˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio


11:24 A.M EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all, please be seated. Thank you for the warm
welcome. Arch-abbot Douglas, Your Excellency, Jim and Mary Towey, members
of the faculty, members of the clergy, moms and dads, and -- most important
-- the Class of 2007: Thanks for inviting me; I am honored to be here.
(Applause.)

Laura and I feel like we have a very special connection to St. Vincent
College through the Toweys. We have come to know Jim and his family well
during his time in Washington -- after all, he was the director of the
White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. And now he's
attained another high office. So today -- before his family, his friends
and colleagues -- I would like to address Jim with two words he probably
never thought he would hear from me: Mr. President. (Laughter and
applause.)

I know he appreciates the importance I place on my speeches. He knows my
style well. I want all of you to know I was very moved by a letter he
recently sent me that invited me to this commencement. Here is what Mr.
President said: "Mr. President, I believe that by hearing you speak, every
member of the Class of 2007 will leave this campus with a priceless lesson
about the importance of the English language." (Laughter and applause.) At
least he didn't say, "I'm proud to welcome to the podium a man, the first
President for whom English was a second language." (Laughter.) I did call
him, I said what my speech ought to be about. That's what I asked him, what
my speech ought to be about, Jim. He said, "About 10 minutes," so here
goes. (Laughter.)

It's a proud moment for the Class of 2007. You're the largest graduating
class in your school's history. You're the first class to take a mandatory
course in Microwaving -- (laughter) -- a requirement that was imposed after
you set off a record number of fire alarms while you were trying to make
popcorn. (Laughter.) You cheered the Bearcats with the Carey Crazies. You
walked through the lighted arches of Melvin Platz. Some of you are the
first in your family to attend college. In a few moments, you will collect
your degrees, the Ave Maria Bell will ring, and you will leave this campus
with a lifetime of good memories. You've worked hard, and we're all here to
congratulate you on a fabulous achievement. (Applause.)

I also congratulate the many people who helped make this day possible.
These people include your parents, who paid your tuition and were patient
-- even after the phone bills arrived. (Laughter.) I thank the people who
have worked hard to make sure you leave with a sound and solid college
degree -- and that's the St. Vincent's faculty. I appreciate very much the
monks of the Arch-abbey -- the men whose prayers are surely responsible for
some of the degrees being offered today. (Laughter.) And so I ask the Class
of 2007 to continue to make these good people proud; to take what you've
learned here into the world, and always live up to the high ideals that
this college stands for.

At the heart of these high ideals is the name Benedict. Benedict was the
saint who set down a practical guide for community life -- and helped save
Western civilization. Benedict was the inspiration for the man who came to
this country to plant these ideals in American soil -- and founded this
college. And Benedict was also the inspiration for the Pope, who took his
name in tribute to the Benedictine ideals of charity and community that he
believes the world needs now more than ever.

These ideals of charity and community have a special resonance for
Americans. From the beginning, America has offered the world a new model
for strong community life. In the early 19th century, a Frenchman named
Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States. He was impressed by the
way Americans came together in voluntary associations to help out a
neighbor in need. And in his book, "Democracy in America," he wrote
something that captured the spirit of this great country. He said, "When an
American asks for the co-operation of his fellow citizens, it is seldom
refused . If some great and sudden calamity befalls a family, the purses of
a thousand strangers are at once willingly opened."

De Tocqueville saw the good heart of America back in the early 19th century
-- and we continue to see the good heart of America in the early 21st
century. We see it in citizens who responded to the worst atrocity on our
soil with acts of selflessness and compassion. We see it in the historic
new commitments our nation has made to alleviate poverty and suffering --
by feeding the hungry and fighting malaria and working to end the scourge
of HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa.

We see it in the volunteers who serve in our faith-based and community
organizations -- good and decent folks who are living the commandment to
love our neighbors as ourselves. Today, more than 61 million Americans
volunteer their time to serve others, more than three-quarters of our
citizens give to charity. The volunteer spirit of America makes us unique,
it represents the true strength of our nation, and it must constantly be
reinvigorated and renewed.

And that's why it's vital for our country that our young people step
forward -- and serve a cause larger than yourselves. When you serve your
fellow citizens, you find benefits you'll never imagine. You discover that
a caring person is sometimes all it takes for someone to turn their lives
around. You see for yourself that kindness and respect make an enormous
difference in a person's life. You learn to take the initiative, instead of
waiting for a government to step in. You become more aware of others, a
better man or woman to your friends and families, a better citizen of your
country. You start to put your own difficulties in perspective. And soon
you learn a great truth: that you always get more out of service than you
give.

Your generation's willingness to serve will define the character of our
nation -- and us older folks have good reason to be confident. Americans
now in college are more likely to volunteer or become engaged in civic life
than previous generations. Here at St. Vincent College, you have learned
that service outside the classroom is as important as what you learn inside
the classroom. The challenge for you is to keep this up as you begin your
new careers, and your new families, and your new lives. So today I ask you
to make service more than a line on your resume. Find a need that is not
being met. Do your part to fill it -- make a difference to our country.

I'm pleased to see that the Class of 2007 is answering the call. In the
graduating class today are five students who have volunteered to wear our
nation's uniform. You knew the risks of serving in a time of war, and you
have volunteered to accept those risks. You have chosen a noble calling.
You will take your place as officers in the finest military the world has
ever known. At some point, the lives of other men and women will be in your
hands -- and they will need leaders of character and selflessness. As your
Commander-in-Chief, I salute you for your service and I ask Almighty God to
keep you close as you keep our nation safe. (Applause.)

There are many ways to serve our nation. Across this great land of
opportunity we have citizens with great needs. And for every need, there is
a path to service.

Some of you have chosen the path of teaching. We all know a teacher who has
made a difference in our lives. In my case, I married her. (Laughter.) The
First Lady showed me that teaching is more than a job or profession -- it
is a vocation. When you make the decision to become a teacher, you know
that your reward will be greater than money. It will happen in wonderful
moments when you see a student grasp a difficult concept, or come alive
during the reading of a poem, or discover how a work of history speaks to
our time. To do this for even one child is special. To do this for hundreds
of children over a career will bring you a satisfaction that few other
professions can match.

The beauty of teaching is that its rewards can be found in any classroom.
Some of you know this from your visits to St. Benedict's, an all-boys
school in one of the poorest areas of New Jersey. For many of these boys,
St. Benedict's is their only safe haven from the crime and drugs and
hopelessness around them. Each Christmas holiday, several St. Vincent
students spend time mentoring these young men.

One of your classmates, Anthony Fiumara, spent two breaks at St.
Benedict's. Here's how he describes the experience: "I always knew that I
wanted to be a teacher. But my time at Saint Ben's showed me that a teacher
could become more than a dispenser of knowledge. When I talked with the
students about their dreams of attending college, I realized that as a
teacher, I would be the one that would help them achieve their dreams."

Our nation needs more teachers like Anthony -- I'm so pleased that nearly
four dozen members of this class have chosen to go into teaching. I thank
you. And as you go forth, I ask you to set high standards in your
classroom. Challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. Teach your
students with respect. And always remember the ideals that attracted you to
this noble profession.

Some of you may not yet have decided the best way to serve. It's okay. The
government can't put love in your heart. But what we can do is when you
find love and find the drive, we can help put it in action. And that's why
I created the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives that Mr.
President ran. Through this office, we are helping to ensure that federal
funds for social service go to organizations that get results -- even if
they happen to have a crucifix or a Star of David on the wall. (Applause.)

We also established the USA Freedom Corps to help mobilize volunteers to
bring the comfort and kindness of America to people both at home and
abroad. Today hundreds of thousands of volunteers mentor children, they
assist the elderly, they build schools and clinics, they respond to natural
disasters. No matter what your interests, no matter what your skills, there
is a place for every one of you to serve in our armies -- our nation's
armies of compassion.

Even if you can't devote yourself to a career of service, you can make a
life of service. We have that on good authority from one of President
Towey's great heroes: Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa's whole life was
dedicated to doing small things with great love. I'm pleased that Jim is
taking a group of you to Calcutta later this month. I hope it helps inspire
a new generation to carry on her good works. In almost every documentary
about Mother Teresa, you see her going to the side of someone who is
suffering terribly -- often about to die. She treats them with great
gentleness, squeezing their hands, and whispering words of comfort. Their
look of wonder tells you that these are people who may be feeling loved for
the first time in their lives. As they look up at Mother Teresa, their eyes
say: Here's someone who cares.

One of your classmates, Kara Shirley, knows what I'm talking about. Just
two months ago, Kara went on a service project to Brazil, where she visited
an AIDS clinic. The clinic was called Hope and Life. While there, she and
the other students helped clean up after the patients, administer their
medicine, and just sit by their bedsides holding their hands. One of these
patients was a man who weighed just 70 pounds. When he was sent to this
clinic, he had already been given his death certificate. But that only told
the people at the clinic that this man needed even more love.

Here's how Kara puts it: "This man was so weak he could not even speak. But
when I held his hand he turned his head, and you could feel the gratitude.
It was one of the most moving experiences of my life -- and by the end of
my time there, I didn't want to leave." Kara's gesture was a -- seemed like
a small thing to hold a man's hand. But because it was done with great
love, it helped fill a dying man's final days with dignity and grace.

I've met thousands of volunteers like Kara who serve their fellow citizens
in many different ways. They put themselves in some of the harshest places
in our country and in the world. Yet instead of telling me how hard they
have it, they always tell me how fortunate they are.

You can know this joy in your own lives. All you need is a warm heart and a
willing pair of hands. When Mother Teresa accepted her Nobel Prize, she
told the story about visiting a nursing home. At first she was impressed by
the home because it was attractive and well equipped. But she soon noticed
that none of the residents were smiling, all were looking at the door. When
she asked why everyone seemed so sad, one of the caretakers explained:
"They are hurt because they are forgotten." They stared at the door in the
hope that it would open and someone who loved them would walk through it.

My challenge to you today is this: Be the person who walks through that
door. Be the face that brings a smile to the hurt and forgotten. Lead lives
of purpose and character -- make a difference in someone else's life. And
if you do, you will lead richer lives, you will build a more hopeful
nation, and you'll never be disappointed.

My congratulations to you all. I ask for the Almighty God's blessings on
you and your life. Thanks for letting me come and share my thoughts.
(Applause.)

END 11:42 A.M. EDT
===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070511-8.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)