Baccalaureate Mass: Late Status.





It's about two months late, but it's been hectic, okay? Sorry.

To the left is Samantha Xia, the winner of this year's Father Vincent Lyon's Memorial Scholarship.

Below, the slideshow of the pictures of the event.



Hit the Jump to read Sam's Baccalaureate Address. Beautiful stuff.

Oh and all you graduates College Freshmen... don't forget to REGISTER for the Young Adult Retreat.





Happy Fathers day, and thank you to all of the family, friends, and parishioners here today to honor the Class of 08 graduates, and our achievements. I am honored to accept the Father Vincent Lyons Memorial Scholarship and I would like to thank all those that contributed to it, from donors to the Scholarship Committee. I would also like to thank the parish, for always being so supportive of all the activities going on at the church, and God for his generosity with this parish.

Being Catholic, a teenager in high school, in this day in age is not easy, but the examples set by my peers and knowing them has been a huge helping factor in staying true to my spirituality. Though we may stumble sometimes in our faith, I know that I could go to anyone of my peers, my friends, and they would willingly help me along, pray with me, or even pray over me. It truly is a blessing to be a part of a community that is so supportive and has so many outlets for people to show their faith in and love for God. I cannot stress enough how serving in and participating in church related activities really changes your perspective on the world. I went on my first retreat in 7th grade, and coming back to the school the following Monday, I literally broke down in tears because I so desperately wanted to change my behavior was and I missed the my spiritual encounter so much. Whether you join the Eucharist Ministry, or a youth group like FCJC, YFC or CYM, you see your religion in a totally different way, because you are able to share it with and see their take on it, and because you live you religion, as opposed to just hearing about it just on Sundays. We go to church every Sunday and listen to people preach to us how to live our lives, and then as soon as we go home, everything we learned just falls to the wayside. Actually living the word is so much more fulfilling, because you use your faith, and the more you use it the more you learn about it and yourself, rather than letting it go to waste. I strongly encourage finding a way to participate during mass and to exercise your faith.

I ask the parish with the utmost urgency, please find a way to involve yourself in mass, youth groups, or ministries, and once you do, involve your family, friends, and everyone you know. That is the most precious Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Birthday, present you could give someone. I promise that it will be the most enriching experience of your lives.