My heartfelt desire is that each of our young graduates leaving us is equipped to Think Differently, Act Boldly, and Inspire Greatly. In speaking of a vision, I focus heavily on hopes – both present hopes and future hopes.
Over most of last month, and likely for much of the next two, there has (and will be) opportunities for you to be fully feted and celebrated by family and friends. There has likely already been (and will be) chances for introspection and self-reflection on the culmination of your life’s journey to this point. No doubt… you have likely also had (and will have) the opportunity to think about and share with others your future plans. No matter how much you likely cringe when person after person asks you “So, what are your plans?”
Rather than die a silent death inside each time yet another person puts you on the spot and asks you that very same question… I challenge ALL of you to embrace it! Think about it, is there any more exciting place to be?
Up to this point, much of your life has been regimented and planned out for you by others; those that love you most; your family; your teachers; your coaches; and to a certain degree, even your friends and peers.
ALL of that changes today.
Each of you – until now – have shared not-so-dissimilar paths to this point.
ALL of that changes today.
While your “plans” may not be fully baked or completely set in stone, know that that is more than okay. One of my most sincere hopes for each of you is that you embrace the World of Possibilities that lie in wait. Literally, thousands of doors are in front of you from this very moment forward. Some, you will open; some, you will enter; some, you may never open. Nevertheless, the choice is entirely yours. All I ask is that you discern and choose wisely – with freedom comes incredible responsibility. You are no longer a child. Choices have consequences.
My other hope for each one of you is that in your pursuit of personal happiness… that you never forget to always be a good person. Whenever you face a moral dilemma, or are EVER in doubt… return to the very core of our lived faith as Catholic Christians – the Gospel Values.
In those moments of personal crisis, when you begin to question your own why or how, try hard to contemplate more deeply on the messages of the Gospel Values:
- Humility – to see your life and all life as a gift.
- Compassion – to have the ability to empathize with, and to the willingness to share in, the suffering endured by others.
- Kindness – a gentleness of thoughts, of words, and of actions.
- Justice – to commit to working for a fairer and more just world for all.
- Forgiveness – to be able to reconcile with yourself and others.
- Integrity – ensuring your words align with your actions.
- Peace – committing yourself to peace making and non-violence.
- Courage – having the strength and fortitude to stand up for the truth.
At different ages and stages of your life you will be a Sower, a Nurturer, and a Harvester. It is also possible that at some point you will be simultaneously (and perhaps unknowingly) all three.
The sower of seeds does just that. They plant seeds that – if properly nurtured – may one day bear fruit. Know that it is highly probable that as a sower, you might NEVER see that seed take root OR even see it grow.
The nurturer waters the plant and provides it with all of the nutrients and care that it needs to thrive.
The harvester reaps the bounty and benefits of the intentional act of the sower and the hard work of the compassionate care of the nurturer.
Each one of us was born in the image and likeness of God. And each one of us is the fruit of the labour of others who have contributed to our development. What each of us does with the bounty of the harvest that is now ours to do with as we see fit, resides with each of us.
Graduates, as I have already stated, not one of you is a child – far from it! However, if we at STMC have met the call of our Mother Church and that of the Living Christ… and… the challenge presented to us to build upon the educational foundations of our Catholic Intellectual Traditions… The collective messages and the lessons of the core Gospel Values give me profound hope that the seeds that have been sown (by your family, your friends, all the Catholic educators whose paths you have crossed, and even the strangers you have encountered to this point in your life) will continue to grow in you today, tomorrow, and always.
So… today, my hope and vision for you, our most recent group of Knights to graduate, is that from this moment forward you will always remember who you are and where you come from. That you will remain forever faithful to your roots and foundations of the moral compass inside yourselves. That you will always strive to be true to our calling. That you will always know and feel Blessed Edmund’s presence among us. And, that you will always live within God’s loving and compassionate embrace.
You are now the beneficiaries of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother Catholic Education. Having joined this community only a few years before this year’s graduating class I too am the beneficiary of such an education.
Let each of us have the courage to think differently, to act boldly, and to inspire greatly in ensuring that the education we received will be passed on to others and that they will in turn pay it forward.
To the STMC Graduating Class of 2025 – Blessings to you all. May God watch over and guide you all the days of your life!
St. Thomas More… Please share your passion for justice and wisdom with our young graduates!
Blessed Edmund Rice… May your charism and example of compassionate service live within them now and always!
And lastly, may each one of you continue to allow Jesus to live in your hearts… FOREVER!
I genuinely and most sincerely wish each one of you an extraordinary life. Thank you, and God Speed!
Stephen J. Garland
President – St. Thomas More Collegiate
