Read the Commencement Address

Providence, R.I.--In a Commencement Address conveyed with humility and grace, award-winning filmmaker Martin J. Doblmeier '73  told more than 1,200 graduates at Providence College's Ninety-First Commencement Exercises on May 17 to use the lessons learned at PC and their generational gifts to transform the world.

While introducing Doblmeier, College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. '80 said the work of good filmmakers can "transport us to another time and place," but the work of great filmmakers "elicits emotions that are often unsettling and provoking."

"Martin has devoted his life to raising one's spiritual consciousness through filmmaking," he said. "Providence College is proud of Martin's body of work as a filmmaker and pleased to welcome one of its own to deliver the Commencement Address."

After telling the graduates to open themselves to the surprises "the world has to offer," Doblmeier admitted that he was surprised when he was asked to deliver the address. However, he said his bond with the College gave him a perspective that someone who didn't graduate from PC would not have.

"Providence College gave me, and I am sure it gave you, not only a knowledge base but a lens of faith and hope through which we can now look out at our world with very different eyes," he said. "It has served me well, as I'm sure it will serve you."

Doblmeier, who graduated from PC with a bachelor's degree in theology, is the president and founder of Journey Films, Inc. of Alexandria, Va. The film production company produces programs that explore religion, spirituality, history, and social issues.

His documentaries have received more than two-dozen national and international awards and have aired on PBS, ABC, NBC, the BBC, The History Channel, and other networks in the United States and abroad. He has filmed in more than 45 countries and profiled Nobel laureates, leading religious leaders, and heads of state.

Doblmeier's highly acclaimed works include Bonhoeffer, a film on the German theologian and Nazi resister, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and The Power of Forgiveness, which explores how the various faith traditions and health sciences address the concept of forgiveness. Both captured five major honors.

Seek endeavors that are meaningful
Doblmeier said while he was working on location in Morocco for Evening/PM Magazine in the late 1970s, his crew had come across a group of homeless people who unknowingly led him to create another television newsmagazine, Real to Reel, a few years later. He couldn't forget the faces of those "broken people" and decided to make movies that focus on social issues. It was in 1984 that he founded Journey Films.

"Some people thought I was absolutely out of my mind," he said. "But I made that first choice nearly thirty years ago and since then it has opened up for me so many wonderful possibilities. From that first decision, I never looked back."

He told the students that they too must "listen to that voice that speaks to you from inside."

"Sometimes all the noise and madness of our lives can drown it out. Sometimes you need a little quiet to hear the whisper of your soul speaking the truth," he said. "But most likely, you will not regret having the wisdom to listen and the courage to act."

Doblmeier relived for those in attendance the first story he produced for Real to Reel, which was a profile on Mother Teresa. After seemingly endless efforts to be granted the interview and scurrying to carry it out with minimal resources, Doblmeier said the late Nobel Peace Prize recipient's thoughts on doing "little things with love" and how service to mankind creates peace continue with him today.

"I know many of you here at Providence College give of yourselves in community service," he said. "As you have been doing those seemingly small acts, you have been building peace. To paraphrase Gandhi, 'You have actually been living out the change you hope to see in the world.'"

Power within reach
Doblmeier said in the days prior to his address he had a chance to speak with student leaders at PC. They talked about the tremendous sense of community and the importance of service at the College.

He also noted that the students were anxious to enter the world that awaits them after graduation. However, he said that this generation of students is better equipped "than any generation in history to inherit power and make decisions" because of its gifts with technology, its focus on sustainability, and the education these graduates received at PC.

"My hope for you is that after your time at Providence College, you will lead full and rich and rewarding lives and be part of the new transformation of our world," Doblmeier said. "And with your own gifts, and in your own ways--great or small--you will begin to reshape this world into the kind of place we still dream about.

"If you can do that, maybe someday I will have the honor, the privilege, of making a film about you."

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