Justice Clarence Thomas, addressing college graduates over the weekend, lamented what he sees as a rising tide of political correctness.

"Do not hide your faith and your beliefs under a bushel basket, especially in this world that seems to have gone mad with political correctness," Justice Thomas told graduating seniors at Hillsdale College in Michigan on Saturday, according to the Ann Arbor News, which reports:

Thomas, 67, admitted he felt a little out of touch in front of the 353 graduates who sat before him at Hillsdale's 164th Commencement on Saturday, describing himself as "from another time" and "unapologetically Catholic, patriotic and a Constitutionalist."

"Much that seemed inconceivable is now firmly or universally established," he said. "Hallmarks of my youth, such as patriotism and religion, seem more like outliers, if not afterthoughts. So in a sense I feel out of place doing this or any commencement. My words will perhaps be more of a vintage nature than current in context.

Justice Thomas, reports the Detroit News, spent parts of his address commenting on what he perceives as a decaying of traditional values, where "today there is much more focus on our rights as citizens and what we are owed."

He also alluded to the current vacancy on the high court left by the death of fellow conservative, Justice Antonin Scalia, calling it a "most difficult term."

"Over the almost 25 years that we were together, I think we made the court a better place for each other," Justice Thomas said about his late colleague, according to the Detroit News. "He was kind to me when it mattered most, in those early days."