Coming soon

We're already in mid-June. Some high school graduates have already experienced their grad ceremonies and are preparing (as we write) for the annual rite of passage known as the prom. In the coming weeks, some students will be writing their final exams, and all students will be receiving their final marks.

Today I celebrated a closing Mass with students from Marymount Accademy. Some three hundred students came to the church this morning for what has become yet another rite of passage (at least over the past few years).

During the liturgy, I reflected with the students about the importance of pausing every once in awhile to recognize not only the challenging moments we've lived in the past couple of months (the ones that make us grow), but also the moments of joy and celebration, for these too are important when it comes to making memories, and holding them close to our hearts.

Giving thanks isn't limited either to experiences we've lived. Gratitude can and should be shared with the people who are important in our lives: the ones who love us deeply, the ones who challenge us and give us opportunities to grow. Recalling happy moments, and times of celebration is relatively easy, but it's often in the difficult moments of life that we tend to glean the most valuable lessons.

This is also the time of year when some of the staff changes are announced. In particular, the principal of Marymount Accademy learned yesterday that he will be moving on to Saint Benedict's here in Sudbury come September. I'm sure the girls at Marymount will miss him, but I know that the students at Saint Benedict will enjoy him, and learn from him.

Teachers aren't always found in classrooms. They are sometimes our collegues at work, our friends and family and even total strangers. For all those who call us to grow and teach us to love more tenderly, we give thanks.