Bishop's Message to 2021 Graduates

IC Design / Laura Vallejo

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Dear Graduating Class of 2021,

Congratulations on your graduation! I join you and your family, friends, classmates, school faculty, staff and community in celebrating this milestone in your lives. Your graduation marks another achievement in your academic journey worthy of praise and gratitude. During these four years, you have navigated various academic challenges and, most recently, the coronavirus pandemic that has impacted your social, athletic, spiritual and emotional lives.

Your senior year in the history of Catholic education in Utah was special and offered unique opportunities. The 2020/2021 school year presented you with unprecedented experiences that you have had to weather. So much was asked of you! You found yourselves living in a world of uncertainty, trying to find answers to and meaning in these events. You tried to adjust to a “new normal” with remote or virtual learning, vocabularies such as COVID-19 and lockdowns and social distancing, fist bumps instead of handshakes or hugs, sanitizers, the reality of social distancing and vaccines.

With the pandemic, so much of your daily life has been turned upside down. Adjustments and accommodations had to be put in place. All of this required of you a renewed and amplified sense of resiliency, a stronger dose of fortitude, and a resolve to be courageous. You needed to be creative and innovative in revising your standard day-to-day lives.

You have stepped up to the challenges. You defied the odds and have found a way to thwart this virus’s cruel attempt to sabotage the best year of your lives. You dug deep and found this new way by the grace of God! You have weathered a devastating storm in your lives that brings mixed emotions of joy, excitement, anxiety, frustration, but most often a bittersweetness as you prepare to embark into the unknown.

As you leave the hallowed grounds of your beloved high school, take with you the best lessons from these experiences. I pray that in all your efforts and endeavors, you found strength in your faith in God, which allowed you to live fully to accomplish your dream. Keep that faith alive for the other dreams you wish to pursue. Trust in God and his purpose in your lives to help you know more of your gifts so you can make a difference in the lives of others and build a better world for all.

May God, through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, bless you and protect you always. Congratulations and Godspeed!