Bishop Frank J. Dewane was the main celebrant at the Baccalaureate Mass for Ave Maria University on May 5, 2023, in Ave Maria.
A Baccalaureate Mass is a Mass of Thanksgiving for God’s many blessings upon the graduates.
During the Mass, Bishop Dewane encouraged the graduates to use what they have learned, combined with the gifts God has bestowed upon them, to bring the light of Christ and the message of the Good News that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, into the world.
Citing the missionary spirt of the Second Vatican Council and its transformational document Lumen Gentium, the Bishop said each graduate is called to live out that document which calls upon all Catholics to evangelize. They must do this accompanied by Christ, that includes opening up to the Lord in their daily life, their family, their job, in public and in private.
“Your parents sacrificed for you to be here. The faculty has educated and formed you so that as graduates you can realize your potential,” Bishop Dewane continued. “You have been prepared to enter the world. It is my prayer that you will use your influence of faith to make the light of Christ present in whatever position you achieve or vocation you follow as you move forward. That is what being a graduate of a Catholic university is about.”
Bishop Dewane concluded his remarks by telling the new graduates that now that they have received the necessary skills during their time at Ave Maria University, to “go forth as agents of that evangelization; willing to instill that into others during a time when it is ever more necessary. My prayer is that you are blessed to take up the challenge to render the light of Christ wherever you may find yourself.”
Following the Mass, Bishop Dewane greeted the graduates outside of the church and many complimented him on his words and support of the university.
Ave Maria University is celebrating its largest graduating class in its 25-year history, with 297 students receiving their diplomas during Commencement Exercises on May 6.
The commencement speaker was Patrick Lencioni, president of Table Group and bestselling author of 13 books, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
This group, as they are each year, is an impressive bunch. Among these graduates, 99 percent are heading off to higher education at some of the top colleges and universities in the land.
As a group, these graduates earned more than 40,000 services hours and $42 million in scholarship offers. Seven were identified as National Merit Scholars and many others graduated with honors.
At Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, the graduation was May 13, and the Valedictorian was Halle Monserez and Salutatorian was Peter Etz. The Baccalaureate Mass was celebrated at Incarnation Parish in Sarasota.
The graduation for Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers was May 21, with the Baccalaureate Mass at Resurrection Parish. Verot had 32 students recognized as top graduates. Grace Marie Smith offered the introductory address, and the commencement address was by Anna Latell.
Donahue Principal Dr. Daniel Guernsey opened the procession of graduates before the Mass, celebrated at Ave Maria Parish, by playing the bagpipes, a tradition he does each year.
Following Mass, the festivities moved to the nearby school, with the graduation taking place in the gymnasium. In addition to family, students from the upper grades were present for the presentation of diplomas. Catherine Graham was the class Valedictorian and Winston Fairchild was the Salutatorian, both of whom were National Merit Scholarship Finalists.
The Verot graduation included 32 who were recognized as Summa Cum Laude. There were also six sets of twins. The Introductory Address was presented by Grace Marie Smith, a Summa Cum Laude graduate and recipient of the St. Francis Medal of Honor, the top award presented at graduation.
The Commencement Address was by Anna Latell, also a Summa Cum Laude graduate. The Baccalaureate Mass was May 20 at Resurrection Parish, with Father John Belmonte, SJ, Superintendent of Catholic Education, as the main celebrant.
The graduating class earned some $11 million in scholarship offers and had more than 16,000 service hours. Three families were recognized for having at least four children to graduate from Verot.
The Class Valedictorian is Ella Bartels and Salutatorian is Madeline Vickers. The Baccalaureate Mass was May 19 at St. Ann Parish, with Father Belmonte, also serving as the main celebrant.
Perhaps just as impressive as the academic achievements, this class completed 12,630 hours of community service. There were three families recognized at graduation for having sent at least three children to Neumann. Due to storms in the area, the traditional cap toss was held inside.
There were 120 graduates who received their diploma. The Valedictorian was Halle Monserez and Salutatorian was Peter Etz. The Commencement Address was given by Leah Roddenberry, Mooney Class of 2017, and current Miss Florida.
The Baccalaureate Mass was celebrated May 11 at Incarnation Parish with Most Rev. Bernard Hebda, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, as the main celebrant (His nephew is a 2022 Mooney graduate).
Ahead of each graduation, Bishop Frank J. Dewane celebrated a Baccalaureate Mass, sharing a hope-filled message that they must each “go forth with God as your guide and let Faith, hope and love be your path through life.”
“What you have done is an accomplishment,” Bishop Dewane stressed. “Your future may be uncertain, but your Faith is not uncertain. I say this to the Class of 2021, God goes with you. That is where your Faith resides. The house of hope in your life. The source of love that lasts forever. What is most important is who you are within. Your Faith can stay with you and make you strong. But it is you, the Class of 2021, that have to be the doers of your Faith. Your pastors can’t do it for you. Your parents can’t do it. Your teachers can’t do it. Graduation means all of that is up to you now.”
Encouraging the graduates to go forward with their Faith, Bishop Dewane reminded them that they need to continue to go to Mass, to live the Commandments, receive the Sacraments often, go to confession, to actualize the presence of God in their lives, and to witness it to those around them.
Bishop Dewane expressed his gratitude to the parents of the graduates for entrusting their children to Diocese of Venice Catholic high schools. He also publicly thanked the teachers and faculty for their commitment to the students and being their guides along their spiritual and academic journey.
The Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School Baccalaureate Mass was May 12, at Incarnation Parish in Sarasota while the Commencement Exercises were held May 14 at LECOM Park in Bradenton. The Bishop Verot Catholic High School Baccalaureate Mass was May 14 at St. Andrew Parish in Cape Coral and the Commencement was held May 15, in their Viking Stadium in Fort Myers. The St. John Neumann Catholic High School Baccalaureate Mass was May 17 at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples and Commencement was May 18 on their football field.
The class of 133 is an impressive group, earning more than $10 million in scholarships and nearly all will be attending college in the coming weeks. Delayed from its original date in late May due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, some were not present for the graduation because of college or work commitments, but each was recognized during the Commencement Exercises.
“With the pandemic, so much has changed for all of us and we find ourselves in a very unique situation,” Bishop Dewane said. “As a class, likely all of you here have become closer while at the same time being 6-feet apart. It’s something unique and something you will always remember.”
The celebration put a capstone on the high school lives of 80 graduates who are destined for futures unknown but grounded in a Christ-centered education. While the ceremonies were delayed two months because of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Sister Patricia Roche, Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco and Principal, declared at the conclusion of the evening events; “You have overcome much, but know you are loved by your Celtic family and always loved by God. Once a Celtic, always a Celtic.”
Guests at the Mass and commencement were limited to immediate family to ensure social distancing could be maintained. The graduates, wearing specially provided “Class of 2020” masks, were spread across the church and seated with their families versus clustered together.
The Verot Class of 2020 overcame the impacts of Hurricane Irma in 2017 which closed their school down for weeks and it took more than a year to complete repairs. Then, just as they were on the brink of the final quarter of their senior year in high school, the world changed. The COVID-19 Pandemic cancelled in-person classes and the resulting quarantine and online classes put a new and trying meaning to distance learning for the close-knit group of 157 graduates.
These students have achieved much, having been offered more than $22 million in scholarships and nearly all with plans for higher education. Because of the delay in graduation, a few students were unable to attend, therefore the graduation was streamed live through the Verot website.
Important commencement traditions remained, such as parents who are Verot alumni were invited to the stage to present their child with their diploma. Because of the pandemic, there were no handshakes when diplomas or awards were presented.
One moment which brought a spontaneous applause was when the father of Mateo Devito accepted the diploma on his behalf, the same day he was being inducted into the U.S. Navy at the U.S. Naval Academy. The closing benediction was given by Father John Belmonte, a Jesuit priest who is the new Diocese of Venice Superintendent of Education.
