Much like Ohio State,* Catholic University proudly insists on the “The” and its full name – The Catholic University of America. I became acutely aware of this when I had the pleasure of attending their graduation ceremony in Washington D.C. last month in honor of my niece. The building above is the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I featured a shot of one Chapel from the basilica here. I did not have much of an opportunity to explore the grounds but I was able to grab some shots while waiting for the ceremony to start and during the ceremony, and feature those here.

* Just watch the opening of any NFL game on TV where the starting players introduce themselves. There is a fair chance at least one of them will have graduated from Ohio State, and will almost certainly identify it as The Ohio State University.

First up are a couple of shots of the Guest Speaker Phillip Rivers. Rivers is a quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, and is prone to getting very emotional and having those emotions reflected in his expression. As a result, he is the subject of some less-than-favorable internet memes, some good-hearted, others a bit nasty. His speech was fully in contrast to that character: sweet, generous, measured and self-effacing.

Following those is a detail of the dome atop the basilica and the University Seal with its Latin motto: “ Deus Lux Mea Est,” or God is my Light.