The Catholic University of America (CUA) has announced that Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, is set to speak at its 2025 commencement ceremony. 

Bishop Barron, a university alumnus, is known for his work evangelizing via digital media through his nonprofit global media apostolate Word on Fire and his YouTube channel, which has reached nearly 2 million subscribers.

With its campus in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., CUA is the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Bishop Barron will receive an honorary degree alongside five others: U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith; former March for Life president Jeanne Mancini; Archbishop Vicken Aykazian of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America; Msgr. John Enzler, former president of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington; and Steven Muncy, alumnus and founder of the humanitarian nonprofit Community and Family Services International.

In a statement, CUA President Peter Kilpatrick praised Bishop Barron’s work in education and evangelism. “Bishop Barron has spent his life illuminating Catholic teachings and making them accessible to millions of people around the world through his books, videos, and social media presence,” Kilpatrick said.

In addition to founding Word on Fire, Bishop Barron is a No. 1 Amazon bestselling author and host of the Catholicism documentary series that aired on EWTN and PBS.

“His ability to engage modern culture while faithfully presenting the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition embodies what we strive to instill in our students,” Kilpatrick continued. “His call to evangelize through beauty, goodness, and truth will provide powerful inspiration for our graduating class as they prepare to lead with light in their future endeavors.”

Sharing his gratitude for the opportunity to return to his alma mater, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy in 1982, Bishop Barron said: “I am honored to accept The Catholic University of America’s invitation to deliver an address during this year’s commencement ceremony.” 

In recent years, Bishop Barron has delivered multiple commencement addresses, including at University of St. Thomas in Houston in 2021, Benedictine College in 2022, and Hillsdale College in 2023. Bishop Barron has also spoken at the headquarters of Google and Facebook and has appeared on various networks, including CNN, Fox News, and EWTN. 

Commencement will take place on May 17 at 10 a.m. ET. Approximately 1,300 degrees are scheduled to be awarded to graduate and undergraduate students.

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