His Eminence Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., will give the commencement address and receive an honorary degree at the 180th annual commencement of Saint Vincent Seminary on Friday, May 8.
Cardinal O’Malley, Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Boston, and retired President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was originally scheduled to speak in 2025; however, he was summoned to Rome to take part in the Conclave of Cardinals following the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025.
The commencement vespers will take place at 5 p.m. in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica.
Cardinal O’Malley grew up in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and at the age of twelve he entered Saint Fidelis High School Seminary near Butler, a school for those considering becoming a Franciscan.
Ordained in 1970, he holds a master’s degree in religious education and a doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese literature from the Catholic University of America, where he subsequently taught for several years. He also directed the Apostolate for Hispanics for the Archdiocese of Washington and was director of social services for Spanish-speaking ministries in San Francisco.
In 1984, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop, and in 1985 Bishop, of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands. He is remembered for his work with the homeless and for opening a home for persons with AIDS.
He was named Bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1992, and a decade later he was appointed Bishop of Palm Beach, serving until July 1, 2003, when he was appointed Archbishop of Boston.
He was elevated to the rank of cardinal-priest in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI. In 2007 he was appointed in the Roman Curia to the Congregation for the Clergy and the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. In 2009 he became a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
In addition to the 2025 Conclave of Cardinals which elected Pope Leo XVI, Cardinal O’Malley also participated in the 2013 conclave which elected Pope Francis. He was a member of the Council of Cardinals that advised Pope Francis in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, ‘Pastor Bonus’. In late 2014 he became president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, serving until his retirement on August 5, 2024.
