“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Summer Day”
Father Tom Welk gifted the graduating class of Newman University with valuable advice during his 2024 commencement address May 10.
Welk, who received the St. John Henry Newman Medal in April, has been part of the Newman community (then Sacred Heart College) since 1970. He has served in numerous roles from the school’s chaplain to a coach, as well as an instructor from 1970-1983. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees and has given generous donations as well as his time and talents.
Party on the Plaza attendees may know him for his handcarved and highly sought-after auction items, from rocking horses to children’s chairs and even elaborate cutting boards.
“Welk’s life is a story of service, compassion and care,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs Alden Stout. “His calling led him far from the plains of North Dakota to the Wichita community. In 1983, he helped establish Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice whose mission is to enable people to live with dignity and hope while coping with loss and terminal illness.”
Welk shared his words of wisdom with the 2024 graduates.
Words from Welk
“To those graduating here today, I hope you realize there are many people in your life who have supported you in getting you to where you are today,” Welk said.
He encouraged graduates to reflect on their journey to today, but to reflect just as much on “the next step forward.” After all, “You are the next one up to help others in their transformation,” he said.
Welk shared that graduates will encounter God’s voice and life’s purpose through their actions and contributions — in their daily work.
He said, “Hospice patients have taught me much about how to live my own life as fully as possible, enabling me to hear the voice of God. I think of the observation made by St. John Henry Newman: ‘I sought to hear the voice of God and climbed the topmost steeple, but God declared, Go down again, I dwell among the people.'”
May the growth and transformation you achieved during your days at Newman serve you well in living fully your ‘one wild and precious life.’
Father Tom Welk
Welk said his hope and prayer is for each graduate to use what they’ve learned to “make a difference in our world” and “find the ‘why’ of our existence.”
Using a quote from the American poet Mary Oliver and her poem “The Summer Day,” Welk shared his final wishes to the class of 2024.
Welk concluded, “May the growth and transformation you achieved during your days at Newman serve you well in living fully your ‘one wild and precious life.'”
Alumni Relations at Newman
Banded by thousands of Newman graduates, Alumni Relations is active in the continued success and spiritual wellness of all alumni.
