We hope to include you in the festivities in two ways:

Parents & Families Reflection

We invite you to send us your reflection on this moment and we will compile the responses and make selections representing the combined voices of our graduates’ parents and guardians.

Please send in your responses no later than Tuesday, April 2nd. You can submit them by emailing multifaithchaplaincy@bates.edu with the subject line: “Baccalaureate Family Members and Loved Ones Reflection.”

If you would like to have your thoughts– whether in the form of poetry, prayers, prose, or short stories– in the ceremony, please read the prompts below and email your responses.

1. Tell us about a moment when you realized your student had grown while at Bates.
2. What does your student’s graduation from college mean to you or your family?
3. What reassurance would you give to them as they enter into this new chapter?

Baccalaureate begins with a procession of the senior class into the historic Quad and ends with a recessional. The graduating class enters and exits through trellises that are adorned with blessing cards that bear the well-wishes of family and loved ones.

Parents and guardians will receive a blessing tag in the mail with a letter conveying the information on this page. Please decorate the tag to honor your graduate and bring it with you to hang on the trellises before the ceremony or mail it back to us at:

Multifaith Chaplaincy
Bates College
163 Wood St.
Lewiston, ME 04240

Ribbon for tying the tags on the trellises will be available beginning at 9:00am on Saturday, May 25th. If you do not bring one, there will be a table to the left of the stage with blessing tags and supplies for decorating. Afterward, there will be scissors next to the trellises to cut down your tag and take it with you.