Bellarmine will award an expected 275 degrees during its on Wednesday, December 21. Rev. J. Ronald Knott will deliver the commencement address.
The 6 p.m. ceremony takes place in Knights Hall on Bellarmine鈥檚 campus. The university plans to award degrees to 184 graduate and 91 undergraduate students.
Knott, who served as Bellarmine鈥檚 director of Catholic worship from 1999 until his retirement this year, will also receive an honorary doctoral degree.
Knott is a Louisville native who was ordained in 1970. As rector of the Cathedral
of the Assumption, he oversaw an $11 million renovation of the downtown Louisville
cathedral and revitalized its parish, expanding it from 100 members to more than 2,000.He was founding director of the at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, which provides lifelong training for ordained priests. The institute鈥檚 work has been used in nearly 100 dioceses around the world.
In 2008, he received the Touchstone Award from the National Federation of Priests鈥� Councils. He also received the National Conference of Christians and Jews Humanitarian Award and The Louisville Forum鈥檚 "Fleur-de-lis Award鈥� for community service.
In addition to being the longest-serving campus minister in the university鈥檚 history, he created Bellarmine鈥檚 annual Blue Christmas Mass in 2010. The service, a more subdued mass for those who are grieving during the holidays, continues to draw a standing-room-only crowd.
He publishes a regular column, 鈥�,鈥� in The Record, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Louisville.
农夫导航's commencement .