Dean Powery Tells Graduates to Gather and Build in Their Lives

As part of the baccalaureate ceremonies on May 9 in Duke Chapel, Dean Luke Powery encouraged graduating students to take care to gather fragments in life—whether those are college memories, discarded materials, or people who are ignored.

“Class of 2025, Don’t focus on scattering or dividing but on gathering the scraps and community building,” he said. “Form humane coalitions of hope across differences and not enclaves of homogeneous echo chambers.”

Dean Powery’s reflection, titled Fragments for a Future, was based on a reading from the Gospel of John in which Jesus multiplies a small amount of fish and barley to feed five thousand people and then tells his disciples to gather up the leftover scraps.

“In the sharing of bread, in the ingathering of the fragments we see a fundamental spiritual gesture and virtue,” he said. “Gather up, bring together the fragments left over so that nothing may be lost.”

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The multi-faith baccalaureate ceremony also included a message about gratitude from Duke President Vincent Price, scripture readings from various faith traditions, musical performances by student groups, and anthems by the Duke Chapel Choir. Dr. Robert Parkins, having served forty-seven years at Duke, played his final piece as university organist as the postlude for the ceremony—Nun danket alle Gott by Sigfrid Karg-Elert.

On Sunday, May 11, the commencement ceremony in Wallace Wade featured an address by Grant Hill, the former Duke and NBA basketball star who is now a university trustee. Watch the speech.

In Dean Powery’s invocation prayer at the commencement ceremony, he said:

"Light of the World,… Thank you for the caring and committed cloud of witnesses who surround us like this stadium—family, friends, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees. As we embark on this new road into our future, help us to never travel alone but to always be in good company, as we strive to be all that we can be for the human family. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for everything that we may face on the path ahead."

Watch the full prayer: