For the twelve seniors on the Notre Dame men's lacrosse team, playing in the NCAA quarterfinals at PPL Park in Chester on May 20 meant a chance to move on to the Final Four and a possible NCAA Championship. But it also meant they would not have the chance to graduate with their fellow Irish in South Bend.
Enter Malvern Prep, which hosted graduation ceremonies for the twelve seniors on Saturday, May 19, at Our Mother of Good Counsel Chapel. Since the Notre Dame lacrosse team has often been on the road during commencement weekend, the Irish began a tradition of holding their own ceremony to honor the team's seniors over the past several years.
Rev. James R. Flynn, O.S.A., Malvern's Head of School, performed the Graduation Mass, with the help of three Malvern seniors heading to Notre Dame in the fall - P.J. Finley, Kevin Frost and Jack Sheridan - who served as altar servers and lectors.
At the end of Mass, Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said a few words and introduced John Delaney ('78), a Philadelphia assistant district attorney and the president of the Notre Dame Alumni Association, to give the commencement address.
See below for a video of the ceremony. By the way, the Irish went on to beat Virginia 12-10 on Sunday, setting up a semifinal contest against top-seeded Loyola on May 26.