Every year, I have the privilege of attending the Baccalaureate Mass and graduation ceremony for each of the five parish and diocesan high schools in the Diocese. I am always impressed by the quality of the speeches that the graduates deliver. They encapsulate the high school experience of their class with humor, wisdom, and the bittersweet reality that the end of high school is the beginning of a new adventure.
To me, the graduation speeches stood out this year because they had in common two distinct themes. The first was that the significance of high school graduation goes beyond a simple milestone in an educational sequence.
Konala Wong, who gave the valedictory address at the Wildwood Catholic Academy graduation, shared this sentiment in a speech delivered entirely in verse:
“On the surface, the reason that we’re gathered here …
Is to celebrate the end of our high school careers …
But, in truth, it’s much more than just the end of 12th grade …
It’s the loss of the child inside of us that makes us afraid …
This ceremony awakens a deep, solemn truth …
This is the birth of our maturity and a farewell to our youth.”
In my years attending high school commencement ceremonies, this reality – experienced by students and parents – has become increasingly evident. High school graduation is the unofficial graduation from childhood. Most graduates take on significantly more responsibility, live more independently, and adjust to life schedules that are far more variable and less predictable than those they have known for most of their lives.
As Mr. Wong beautifully expressed, “the loss of the child inside of us … makes us afraid.”
I’m willing to bet it gives parents a fair amount of anxiety as well.
The second theme I noticed in the speeches this year offers a response to those fears and anxieties: the presence of God on the journey.
Gloucester Catholic valedictorian Ava Godby shared this wisdom: “Through every celebration and struggle, God has been working in my heart – gently shaping me, calling me to grow and reminding me that I was made for more. Gloucester Catholic didn’t just nurture my education – it nurtured my soul.”
Ms. Godby’s insights highlight an important distinction between a Catholic education and those available elsewhere. Catholic schools nurture their students’ souls by fostering their relationships with God through prayer, liturgy, service, retreats, learning, and witness. Catholic schools embrace the reality that each of us is a unique creation of God, made in His image and likeness. By doing so, they reflect a truth shared at every Baccalaureate Mass – in the first reading – in which Paul tells us that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
As Catholic school graduates take the next steps in their journeys, they – and their parents – know they can face with confidence any fears and anxieties that may arise. Because they have nurtured their souls and grown closer to God through their Catholic education, they have hope that God’s love will continue to lead them, empower them, and help them grow ever closer to Him wherever they go.
Dr. Bill Watson is superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Camden.
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