For graduating students, the rush of emotions and life changes can feel overwhelming. The thrill of the next chapter can be daunted by fear and uncertainty, and the path forward may not be clear. Yet as the Holy Fathers have often reminded us, God has a plan for our lives, and has not “give[n] us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and love and self-control,” (2 Timothy 1:7).
As the academic year comes to a close and many students look towards a new chapter of life, we invite them to be encouraged by these seven pope quotes for graduates.
Our Greatest Purpose
“You perceive it in the depths of your heart: all that is good on earth, all professional success, even the human love that you dream of, can never fully satisfy your deepest and most intimate desires. Only an encounter with Jesus can give full meaning to your lives: ‘for you made us for yourself, and our heart finds no peace until it rests in you’ (Saint Augustine, The Confessions, book 1, chapter 1). Do not let yourselves be distracted from this search. Persevere in it because it is your fulfilment and your joy that is at stake.” – Pope John Paul II
“Part of being young is desiring something beyond everyday life and a secure job, a yearning for something really truly greater. Is this simply an empty dream that fades away as we become older? No! Men and women were created for something great, for infinity. Nothing else will ever be enough… The desire for a more meaningful life is a sign that God created us and that we bear his ‘imprint.’ God is life, and that is why every creature reaches out towards life.”
– Pope Benedict XVI
Jesus Calls Us to Serve Him
“In your daily lives, be intrepid witnesses of a love that is stronger than death. It is up to you to accept this challenge! Put your talents and your youthful enthusiasm at the service of the proclamation of the Good News. Be the enthusiastic friends of Jesus who present the Lord to all those who wish to see him.” – Pope John Paul II
God Can Use Anyone for His Glory
“You might say to me: Father, but I have my limits, I am a sinner, what can I do? When the Lord calls us, he doesn’t worry about what we are, what we have been, or what we have done or not done. Quite the opposite. When he calls us, he is thinking about everything we have to give, all the love we are capable of spreading.” – Pope Francis
“There is no saint without a past, or a sinner without a future. The pearl is born of a wound in the oyster! Jesus, by His love, can heal our hearts and turn our lives into genuine pearls. As Saint Paul said, the Lord can show His power through our weakness (cf. 2 Cor 12:9).”
– Pope Francis
There Is No Greater Friend than Jesus
“[Jesus] alone fully knows who we are and why we are here; young people, he knows your heart, your indignation in the face of discrimination and injustice, your desire for truth and beauty, for joy and peace. Through his friendship, he listens to you, motivates you, and guides you, calling each of you to a new life…
He does not want us to be servants, nor ‘activists’ of a political party; he calls us to be with him as friends, so that our lives may be renewed. And witness arises spontaneously from the joyful newness of this friendship. It is a unique friendship that grants us communion with God, a faithful friendship that helps us discover our dignity and that of others, an eternal friendship that not even death can destroy, because the risen and crucified Lord is its source.” – Pope Leo XIV
Our Time Is the Lord’s
“A Christian is a man or woman who knows how to live in the moment and also knows how to live in time… Perhaps we might feel that we are masters of the moment. But it is a trap to believe that we are masters of time. Time is not our own. Time belongs to God…. We may be masters of the moment, but there is only one Sovereign over time: Jesus Christ.” – Pope Francis
Perpetual Enrollment for Graduates
Celebrate the graduates in your life with a perpetual remembrance at Mary’s Shrine! National Shrine Prayer Guild Perpetual Enrollments for Graduates provide a thoughtful way to commend family members and friends on recent academic achievements and ensure they are entrusted to the care of our Blessed Mother.
