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Faculty Senate, Seton Hall University

2024-2025 Cover Sheet FS-2 Motion of Appreciation

Passerini, Katia, Provost and Senior Executive Vice President

Seton Hall University 
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Graduation Seton Hall Law Archives 
5-28-2025 
Speech - Seton Hall Law School Commencement Welcome 
Address 
Katia Passerini Provost and Senior Executive Vice President 
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 Part of the Law Commons 
Seton Hall Law School 2025 Commencement Welcome Address  
Katia Passerini 
Good morning. I am pleased to deliver this charge on behalf of 
President Msgr. Joseph Reilly, who could not be with us today, but 
wanted to ensure that you receive his blessing and regards.  
To the Seton Hall Law Class of 2025: congratulations! Today marks the 
culmination of years of study, sleepless nights, courageous decisions, 
and commitment to the pursuit of justice. What an achievement. You 
have made it, and we are so proud of you. 
To your families and loved ones, thank you for your support, your 
patience, and your belief in these graduates long before they ever 
stepped into a classroom. 
To our faculty, staff, and administrators, and especially Dean Ron 
Weich, thank you for the extraordinary care, commitment, and 
excellence you bring to this law school every day.  
And to our distinguished keynote speaker, Chief Judge Michael 
Chagares of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, thank you 
for honoring our graduates with your presence and your wisdom. 
Let me begin with a line I believe speaks directly to this moment. It 
comes from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who said: 
“There are no bystanders in this life” 
Today, you leave Seton Hall Law not as bystanders, but as advocates, 
defenders, and architects of a more just society. 
If there is one reality that echoes through every courtroom, it is this 
one: Laws mean very little without those who ensure they are upheld, 
without those who enforce the Law, and those who defend the ones 
who are wrongly accused.  
And that is your calling. As attorneys, you are not just interpreters of 
law, you are the guardians of accountability, defenders of rights, and 
builders of trust in democratic institutions. 
It is easy in today’s world to be cynical about power. But lawyers - good 
lawyers - don’t give up when systems are strained. In fact, they tend to 
apply en masse, even more than ever, to Law School. Yes, there are a 
lot more applications this year, I am told.  
Because lawyers, YOU, step in. You ensure that power has limits, that 
voices are heard, that executive and legislative branches stay in 
balance, and that the rule of law remains intact. 
Whether you go into litigation or legislation, advocacy or arbitration, 
your tools, your words, and your swords will be invincible: they will be 
reason, ethics, and integrity. 
Because what the world needs now is not just legal expertise, but 
moral clarity. It needs LAWYERS who can argue persuasively and act 
justly. Who can navigate complexity without losing sight of our 
humanity, made in God’s image and likeness. 
You are prepared for this moment. You have read the cases, written the 
briefs, survived cold calls, and found your voice through your studies 
here, at Seton Hall. And what a VOICE it will be. 
So, as you leave this place, Class of 2025, [President Msgr. Reilly] offers 
you this charge: 
Be courageous. Be compassionate. Use your God-given VOICE for the 
good of us all. 
Congratulations, and God bless you all. 
 


English

Speech - Seton Hall Law School Commencement Welcome Address

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