June is a month filled with graduations. Whether it is high school, middle school, elementary or pre-school, young people of all ages are celebrating a huge milestone in their lives. At many Catholic schools it is often celebrated with a Baccalaureate Mass the day before. There are many reasons as to why schools celebrate with a Baccalaureate Mass; these are just a few.

Well Wishes

A graduation marks a passing of one life journey to another. This could be continuing a journey from one school to another, or completing your final chapter in school. Either way, it should commence with well wishes to your next journey in life.

My Baccalaureate Mass from undergrad was quite moving. We had the mass the morning of graduation and it was given by Bishop O’Connell from the Diocese of Trenton. He provided us with well wishes and the hope that we will accomplish something great in our future. As if I was not already excited to graduate after years of hard work, I certainly was after his homily.

Honor Graduates

Remember all of those finals, essays, presentations and projects you had to do at the end of the semester? All of the extra hours at the library making sure you knew the exam questions inside and out, or making sure that your group presentation was perfect. This is why the graduates should have a special mass honoring them.

Give Guidance

After your graduate from high school or college, sometimes you need a bit of guidance to lead you in the right direction. Yes, you may already have plans, but sometimes they change as they may not be the correct plan for you.

Often times after high school students think the next stop is college, but it may not always be the case. Sometimes graduates need to find themselves and go on sabbatical for a year. That is the guidance given during a Baccalaureate Mass. Listen to your heart and listen to your mind – it will lead you in the direction you are supposed to go in. It also teaches you to not be afraid of making mistakes or failing as both are a part of life.

Good luck to the class of 2019. May you make great strides and accomplish with what you set out to do.