Thomas Aquinas College announced this week that Brian Burch II, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, will deliver the May 16 commencement address to its California class of 2026, with Father Luke Mata serving as principal celebrant and homilist at the Baccalaureate Mass.
College President Paul O’Reilly said in a statement the school is “delighted and grateful that Ambassador Burch would take time from his diplomatic duties to speak to our graduates as they prepare to enter an uncertain world, armed with their faith and the blessings of a Catholic liberal education.”
Burch, the 13th U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, is a longtime advocate of Catholic education and co-founder of CatholicVote, where he served as president for 17 years before stepping down in 2025 to assume his diplomatic post. The college described his role as working with Pope Leo XIV on issues including religious freedom, protection of vulnerable populations, peacebuilding, and the ethical use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
O’Reilly said the college “would be hard pressed to think of anyone better suited to discuss the challenges they will face or the good they can work to achieve.”
Fr. Mata, a priest of Opus Dei and a native of Spain, will celebrate the Baccalaureate Mass of the Holy Spirit. He holds degrees in theology and a doctorate in moral philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and regularly preaches retreats and provides spiritual direction in the U.S.
“We are deeply honored to welcome Ambassador Burch and Fr. Mata to our California campus,” O’Reilly said, adding that their work “in service of religious liberty, the family, and forming faithful Catholics” offers an example to graduates as they enter “their own roles in the Church and society.”