Good afternoon,
Br. Andre, Sr. Mary Peter, Mr. Jones, Sister Maria Perpetua, Fellow Graduates, Teachers, Parents, Friends, and Guests. Thank you so much for being here this afternoon.
Many of you might recognize me from last year’s graduation, where l came, not as a student, but as a teacher. I had already graduated high school (my sisters and I were homeschooled) and I thought that period of my life was behind me. While I was here teaching however, I came to realize that the education which is offered at IHM is in many respects closer to a college than a standard highschool. For example, when I told a friend who had been in college for two years, that IHM has you write a 15 page research paper, she was shocked! The largest she had ever written was 10 pages, and she is an English major!
Since I had two sisters attending IHM highschool I had plenty of opportunity to hear about how educational it was. So, in between teaching classes at the elementary school, I would come to the highschool and listen in on the lessons. Br. Andre’s religion class was both informative and enjoyable, and Sister Maria Philomena made learning the declensions and conjugations of Latin words seem easy! Because of my schedule I couldn’t attend the rhetoric class. But, when I heard that both my sisters were going to write speeches, I was inspired and decided to try and write one myself.
I have always loved reading. Poetry, prose, the great classics, history, I enjoyed them all and appreciated the diverse and artistic ways with which various facts and ideals were brought to life. However, despite my love of written works, I’d never written much myself, making this a rather daunting task. However, all of the teachers were very supportive and encouraged me in my self-imposed assignment. I would like to give special thanks to Sister Mary Joseph and Brother Andre, both of whom took the time to edit my speech even though I wasn’t a student. These experiences made me realize that even though I had graduated, there was so much more I could learn here. So, I joined the class of 2025.
Now that I am about to formally graduate, I can tell you that this school has taught me more than can be simply put into words. I would like to especially thank my teachers, whose patient work and dedication have made this day possible.
Thank you, Sister Mary Peter, for welcoming me into your school. I was so surprised when I heard that you were willing to include us at a distance in the classes. I can only imagine how much difficulty setting up a virtual classroom must have given you. You have always made me feel welcome, and no matter how far away we might live in the future, I will never forget you. Your genuine care for me, and willingness to listen whenever I wanted to talk have meant more to me than I could ever express.
Thank you, Br. Andre, for teaching me Religion. Your insights, commentaries, anecdotes, and jokes will be long remembered and oft quoted. I really appreciated it when every morning you would look at the blank, silent computer screen and say “Good morning!” Thank you for your encouraging comments on the precis I wrote, I’m going to miss them!
Thank you, Sister Maria Philomena, for being the perfect teacher. You always seemed enthused about every subject you taught, even the ones I couldn’t see anything exciting in. No matter how many questions I asked, even if they were various strange twists of the same problem, you were invariably happy to answer. I have always loved history, but having listened to you teach it, I love it even more. Even the subject which I didn’t have much inclination for, science, changed from pages of odd terms and tedious labels, to understandable realities about the world we live in; your careful drilling every day cementing many key facts in my mind which l believe I shall never forget. And, despite the thousands of problems which you were subjected to while teaching us virtually (somehow our computer was always dying, our homework was delayed, and the files sent to you were blank, none of us knowing what happened to the tests which were supposed to be in there) you were never impatient, never decided it was too difficult to teach us. Thank you so much, Sister, for making school not a duty, but rather a pleasure.
Finally, I would like to thank Sister Maria Rosaria who was tasked with the difficult job of teaching me Algebra 2. Thank you for explaining the same algebraic equation for the tenth time while I asked how it made logical sense. I came into your class with very little knowledge on the subject, and left not only understanding it better, but also eager to expand my knowledge of mathematics.
Although Miss Estabrooks is not here with us today, I would like to thank her as well for teaching me about the beauties and intricacies of Literature, and the elegant architecture with which sentences are formed. Learning to write has definitely been one of the things which I am most grateful for.
Writing seems to me to be one of the most beautiful forms of art. When you read a poem you can hear the music which accompanies it, either lilting like the notes from a flute, harshly clanging like brazen bells, or calling you to arms with the exhilarating voice of trumpets. Writing inspires, calms, instructs, comforts and rebukes. It can be built as complexly as one of the great architectural achievements, or it can be so simple that a child could understand it. With tremendous bursts and clashes a writer can make you feel as though you have been tossed on a tempestuous sea, or the delicate language can softly lull you to sleep.
Books can bring you to faraway lands and heretofore unknown realms, strange and mysterious, glorious and majestic. And yet despite the exquisite adventures which await us at our very fingertips, we so often ignore them, believing that the effort of studying is too tedious. But if you will start, begin to read, you will understand that the beauty which awaits negates all momentary inconvenience.
Once you have begun, you may find, as I have, that it is very difficult to stop! Not only are there many interesting works which can give a swift satisfaction, like a humorous poem or an action packed book; there are also many carefully written labors of love, with a meticulous attention to detail. After a superficial overview, you can read it a second time, and then a third. First the main points may stand out to you, then the harmony of the piece and the carefully structured sentences, and finally as you study you may see many hidden truths, simple guidelines on how to live, morals which formed many heroic figures whom we know and love today. This then brings us to the most important reason to study the art of writing: our spiritual good.
God has created us with an ability to reason. This gift has not been granted to any other mortal creature. He granted us this gift so that we could use it, to the best of our capability, and with it grow closer to Him. We were created, not just with a body that needs care, but with a memory and an intellect, which need even more careful attention.“The soul grows by learning.” says St. Augustine, and indeed as long as we are alive we will always be learning something, so great care should be taken that the information we glean will be beneficial to our souls and not destructive. By contemplating the sublime the soul is brought from the trivial matters of the earth and offered a glimpse into the heavenly bliss which awaits us.
St. John Bosco says that “Only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic book.” and l believe that this is something which is all too often forgotten in the rush of everyday life. I am so grateful that I have been given the opportunity in this past year to read multiple good Catholic books, and to hear them explained by good Catholic people.
l would like to share with you a quote from St. Alphonsus de Liguori which has made quite an impression on me. “Without good books and spiritual reading, it will be morally impossible to save our souls.” This does not mean that in order to go to heaven one must be a well read scholar, but l believe that it is a very good reminder that our souls need nourishment just as surely as our bodies do.
My time here has been, I believe, well spent. There is so much to learn in life, and having a good foundation is absolutely critical no matter what God is calling each of us to do. Thank you all for making this possible.