ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Priests, Deacons, Religious,
Members of the Secretariat for Catholic Education,
Administrators and Faculty,
Representatives of the Connelly Foundation,
Archdiocesan Scholars and Families,
Dear Friends,

What a joy it is for all of us to gather in thanksgiving to God and in recognition of our archdiocesan scholars.

Your accomplishments, dear Scholars, are undoubtedly the result of sacrifice and personal effort. We admire the way in which you have applied yourselves to your studies. I speak for all in the Archdiocese in congratulating you for your achievements.

How fitting that our celebration takes place during the Easter season. On Easter Sunday we celebrated Christ’s Resurrection, his victory over sin and death. During the fifty days of the Easter season, we are immersed in this profound mystery. We celebrate the fact that the gift of eternal life is offered to us by God in Baptism, and how the Eucharist offers a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. This joyful season offers us the hope that where Jesus has gone, we too might follow.

The joy of Christ’s Resurrection is meant to be shared. We are called by God to be witnesses of Jesus, to testify that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. A witness not only knows what is true, but speaks the truth. A Christian witness is one who knows Christ and wants others to know Him too. This witness, this testimony must come from inner conviction. Inner conviction develops out of intimacy with Christ. Intimacy with Christ is possible only by spending time with him. There can be no effective Christian witness without the inner conviction that is born of a personal relationship with Christ.

For you, our Archdiocesan Scholars, your formation to be witnesses for Christ began at home. Your parents have been influential in your faith formation. Parents are the first educators, who teach primarily by the witness of their Christian lives and by their love for the faith. It is at home that the seeds of a personal relationship with Jesus are planted.

The Catholic schools that you have attended have assisted your parents in forming you to be witnesses. Catholic schools have provided you with an academically rigorous and doctrinally sound program of education and faith formation designed to strengthen your union with Christ and his Church. Catholic schools have collaborated with your parents and guardians in raising and forming you to meet the changing and challenging cultural and moral contexts in which you find yourselves. Catholic schools have provided you with sound Church teaching through a broad-based curriculum, where faith and culture are intertwined in all areas of a school’s life. Your Catholic education, rooted in Jesus Christ and the Gospel message, rich in the cherished traditions and liturgical practices of our faith, ensures that you have the foundation to be witnesses of Christ in the world.

Archdiocesan Scholars, you are and will be witnesses for Jesus. You witness already by applying yourselves to your studies and participating in school activities. In so doing you develop the gifts that you have received from God. You testify to Jesus by your lifestyle. Your moral example and acts of charity enrich the lives of others and offer encouragement, especially to your peers. Your witness is particularly clear by your participation in the sacramental and prayer life of the Church, especially the Eucharist.

We look forward to the future when you will witness to Christ by the energetic leadership you provide for our Church and our nation. Some will do so as lay members of Christ’s faithful people. Others will be called to witness as Priests, as religious Sisters and Brothers.

This past Saturday, in this very Cathedral, three young men were ordained to the priesthood for service in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I am convinced that God is calling some of you to the priesthood and religious life. The Church’s history is filled with numerous examples of priests and religious who were gifted with superior intellects. Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Augustine of Hippo and Teresa of Avila are just a few who applied their minds to probing and explaining the deepest mysteries of faith and the world. What a privilege for you to place your talents at the service of God in the Church. May you be open and responsive to the invitation to serve God’s people. May your parents be given the grace of generosity and trust in Jesus, that they may help you, their sons an daughters, to accept your vocation in life with wisdom and freedom.

The call to witness will not always be easy. Regardless of your age or vocation in life, discipleship involves challenges. In the Gospel, Jesus warned his disciples that their testimony would result in persecution or even death. Just as Jesus endured the cross because he testified to his Father’s love and forgiveness, so also will we, as disciples, endure crosses as we testify to Jesus’ love and forgiveness. However, disciples of Jesus never face such difficulties alone. Jesus assures us, His disciples, that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, enables us to bear witness and endure the trials and tribulations that may occur.

There is so much for which to be grateful this evening. I express my deep gratitude, first of all, to the parents who have entrusted the education and formation of their children to our Catholic schools. In so doing, you have given us the privilege of sharing a role in which you have the primary and irreplaceable responsibility.

I am grateful for the Priests, religious Sisters and Brothers, and laity who serve in the educational apostolate and who support this apostolate with such generosity and dedication. We depend upon all of you to set high academic standards and instill a spirit of faith and values rooted in Christ. You give generously of your time, talent and treasure to advance the teaching mission of the Church. You assist parents by providing their children with a solid moral foundation. Our Catholic school teachers understand that their work is not just a career opportunity, it is a vocation, a response to God’s call to teach and evangelize our youth.

I am grateful for the support of the entire Catholic community who by their prayers and financial support enable our schools to accomplish their mission. With this support, many are able to receive a Catholic education who might otherwise be deprived.

Finally, I congratulate our Archdiocesan scholars. The future of the world and the Church belongs to the younger generation. We are proud of you. Christ expects great things from young people. Put your talents at the service of the proclamation of the Good News. Be friends of Jesus and offer witness so that others might get to know Him.

We entrust you, our Archdiocesan scholars, to our Blessed Mother Mary, whom we venerate in a special way during this month of May. Overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, Mary overcame doubts and accepted God’s invitation to be the Mother of his Son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit empowered her to witness to God and endure the trials that came, especially the death of her Son on the cross. Through her maternal intercession, may Mary, the Seat of Wisdom, assist you in recognizing the Truth and witnessing to it in your lives. Amen.