Memories of Adolescence and Prayers for the Future

The pews of in Menlo Park were packed Friday night with families who awaited the entrance of the graduating eighth grade class of 2011. The procession had been put on hold, while a missing graduate was located.

Older generations stood up from their seats to greet younger generations with warm embraces and pose for photos. In one aisle, a bright-eyed toddler with freshly-combed hair leapt into the arms of his father, while providing narrative commentary about his thoughts.

“Is he okay?” his mother asked, concerned about whether he would sit still for the ceremony. “Should I get an iPad for him?”

The little boy was engaged in an iPhone game when the sound of a deep bass organ chord washed through the air, marking the beginning of the tune "Pomp and Circumstance." 

As the organist played, the 26 graduates entered and walked down the aisle toward the alter with the cadence of a bridal party, putting one foot forward until one ankle stood next to the other, stopping, and then putting the other foot forward. The boys wore maroon robes, while the girls wore white. In their hands they bore red roses. They smiled at their parents as they found their seats in the front rows of the church.

After everyone sang “America The Beautiful,” student Marifer McCavitt walked up to the alter to read an opening passage from Ephesians 1:15-18 about the importance of having a spiritual relationship.

“I ask the glorious father and God, oh Lord Jesus Christ to give you his spirit,” she said, slightly nervous in front of the congregation, but determined to finish.

“The spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God,” McCavitt read.

is a Catholic education institution that instills social values in its pupils in addition to the subjects in core curriculum classes found in secular schools. It is next door to St. Raymond Chuch, which has a congregation of about 200.

Many of the children who graduated June 3, 2011 had been enrolled there as kindergarteners and had spent the past nine years at the campus, according to Sister Ann Bernard, who is the principal of the school. She moderated the graduation ceremony.

Soon after McCavitt had concluded her passage, student body president Caoimhe MacRunnels took her spot at the podium on the altar to give her graduation address. MacRunnels said that while it was hard to remember what she was doing precisely 3,194 days ago, she would never forget the time she spent with her classmates and her teachers.

“My favorite memory was the visit to Yosemite, tripping over tree trunks, playing basketball and acting by the camp with Sister Ann Bernard," she said.

That trip also included a formative experience that forced her to step out of her comfort zone.

“We had to rappel down, guided by the inner strength and confidence that our Sister had personally helped foster in all of us," she said. "Sister Ann Bernard will always hold a place in our hearts.”

This is Sister Ann Bernard’s sixteenth and final class, said Father Morris, who gave the final blessing. “Her sweet 16,” Morris said. 

The graduates departing from the halls of St. Raymond will enter 10 different high schools on the Peninsula this fall. To encourage them on their paths, Sister Ann Bernard told them: “We ask God to guide you, and to watch over you; you are a very impressive group.”

Congratulations to the St. Raymond class of 2011.