Message to the Graduates
Many years ago, Father Myles Gaffney (who is now the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Calgary) told me that, "90% of success in any endeavor within the Catholic Church is to show up." The five of you have, now, for nine years, been showing up for Catechism classes. You have successfully arrived at your last day, having learned to say your prayers, having learned to read the Scriptures, you have learned some things about the history of this great Church of which you are a member, and having grown in Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Right Judgement, Courage, Piety, and Awe of the Lord. You have also prayed, participated in liturgies, and been brought to Mass and to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Today is your last day of Catechism, and we celebrated that with a party in the Hall and in other ways, as well.
Today is also a first day - it is your first day of taking adult responsibility for learning your faith. You will no longer be brought to Catechism classes, or given assignments and reading to do. Now, your journey of learning and growing in faith is your own. You will choose what groups you will join, what books you will read, and how to live out your calling as a Catholic. Through your nine years of Catechism classes, you have been given the foundation - a basis upon which to build the structure of your faith. It's now up to you, what sort of a building to put on that foundation.
I now encourage you to keep studying, keep praying, and keep growing. Above all, keep on showing up. Show up to Mass every Sunday, and show up to Confession whenever you need it - and even sometimes when you don't need it.
Also, keep in mind that, even though you are now responsible for your own learning, you are not alone. Your parents, your teachers, and your priests are all still here. We are simply entering into a different kind of relationship with each other, now.
Judith McRae