SpokaneFāVS
Jesuit priest, journalist and author the Rev. James Martin will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary degree at Gonzaga University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m., Sunday, May 8 in the Spokane Arena.
The ceremony is among Gonzaga’s three 123rd commencement exercises May 6-8.
According to a press release, Martin will receive an honorary doctor of letters in tribute to, “his literary success in assisting thousands of people on their faith journey while emphasizing the importance of love.” He is the editor-at-large at America, the national Catholic magazine, his most recent books are “Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus,” “The Abbey” and “Jesus: A Pilgrimage.” His book on Jesuit spirituality, “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life,” made The New York Times list of best-sellers.
Washington State Attorney General Robert Ferguson, will deliver the keynote address at the Law School commencement, starting at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, May 7 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Spokane-based author and certified mental health counselor Michael Gurian will deliver the graduate commencement address at noon May 7 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
