Excerpts from 2024 Keynote Speaker, Sr. Joan Burke, SNDdN 

Together We Can Change the World; School of Life is What Counts the Most 

“Today I have chosen to share with you some of the learnings life has taught me. You are all persons of experience. On hearing these reflections, try them on and see if they fit. If they do, be affirmed. If not, do not throw them away too quickly, but put them aside and test them against your experience at a later time. Often, new shoes do not seem very comfortable initially, but after some time our feet become more at home in them.  

The first learning I would like to share is to recognize and own our common humanity and our sharing a common home, Earth. I still remember the impact that the photograph of Earth taken by Apollo 17 in December 1972 had on me when I was a young adult. What most struck me then was that there were no boundaries on the earth. It was one planet, our common home: beautiful, round, like a seemingly fragile ‘Blue Marble’ as the Apollo photo came to be called, with the dominant colors of blue and green, signs of hope, and new life. Many years later I came to notice similarly there were no boundaries demarcated on the UN Flag. For me, the principal common challenges of our times for all of humanity are the ever-deepening of inequality and the existential threat of climate change. These are not contained within any boundaries. They mark, and even scar, all our societies. 

They are larger than any of us. Singly we can do little to address them. But together, we can change the world. The Earth is our one, and only home. It is a common good, belonging to all of us. Let us join together to care for it – even until our children’s children of the seventh generation, as indigenous peoples would say. 

My second reflection for you is to relish and nourish relationships. Be attentive to the so many simple things that create relationships: the universal language of a smile and laughter, the conviviality and sharing of food (African saying: ‘Food tastes better when it is shared.’), and the simple words or gestures that say ‘Thank you,’ or ‘I am sorry.’ We need one another to become and be who we are. 

Third, I encourage you to take a long view of our individual and collective lives. Life has its peaks and valleys. The sages counsel, ‘When you are down, remember when you were up. And, when you are up, remember when you were down.’ Another wisdom statement, sometimes attributed to the 16th-century Spanish mystic and reformer St Teresa of Avila, cautions us that, ‘God writes straight with crooked lines.’ Take time to let your life and insights unfold and develop. 

Number four is value experience. Make connections. As I shared earlier, always remember the African proverb: ‘You go to your elders for advice not because they’re always right but because they’ve made more mistakes.’ This deserves repetition. Periodically, ask yourself what kind of ancestor will you be seen by your children, and their children to the seventh generation.  

The fifth learning I wish to share is to move beyond judging others as better or worse than you are, to see and appreciate that they are simply different. Engage with differences and seek to understand others. That literally means to ‘stand under’ so you are in a position to see the other with respect and openness. To learn the language and perspective of the other one must listen deeply and observe closely. In the wisdom words of the native peoples of this continent, ‘Before you judge a person, walk a mile in his/her moccasins.’ 

We need to move beyond that which divides to that which can complement or even draw us together by remaining engaged. In this age of building walls, let us resolve to build bridges.  Recently I heard someone quoting of Angela Davis’ saying, ‘Walls turned sideways are bridges.’ 

My sixth reflection for you is to take time regularly to reflect on developing patterns in your life. Be attentive to who and what inspires you, they are indicators of what is already stirring within you and straining for expression in your own life. Grow into your aspirations again, they reflect the deeper desires within you, calling you to fuller becoming. Be grateful for who you are and for all who have supported you along the way. 

I encourage you in all circumstances to challenge yourself to become a more loving and lovable human being and to grow into becoming ‘a person for others.’ Do not hesitate to engage, and to use your gifts and experience whatever they are. When the going gets tough, do not give up. Trust yourself, and your experience. In the spirit of St. Julie, always trust the Journey-Master. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, be who you are and simply ‘Do what you can.’ 

To the class of 2024, I wish you all the very best. As you bid farewell to this chapter of your lives and step into the ‘what next’ waiting for you:  

May you take with you the wisdom to recognize our common humanity and embrace the beauty of our shared home, Earth.  

May you cherish the bonds you have formed and nurture them with care, for it is through our relationships that we find strength and purpose.  

And when faced with challenges on this journey, may you remember to draw upon your experiences, engage your gifts, and strive to be the embodiment of love and resilience, never faltering in your commitment to becoming true stewards of humanity and agents of positive change.  

Congratulations to all of you, the NDNU graduates of 2024, and to all of you present who have encouraged and inspired you in your life journey.”