Monsignor James Shanley was the principal celebrant of this evening’s Baccalaureate Mass that was offered for the graduating class of Northwest Catholic High School at the Church of Saint Timothy in West Hartford. Father Anthony Federico was the homilist. He and Father Michael Dolan and Father William Agyemang concelebrated, and Deacons Chris Haddad and Richard Santos assisted.
A wonderful tradition is the blessing of the graduates by their parents at the end of Mass:
“Before you were ever formed, God knew you. While in your mother’s womb, God named you. At your birth, God’s breath filled you with life. Today we celebrate what you have become at this moment in your life. And so we pray: God of your beginnings, we thank You for the gifts of these graduates; their excitement, their awesome wonder and curiosity, their open speech and encouraging words. Their contributions have blessed and
challenged us, and we have become a richer and more diverse community because of them. As they step forward into the world that awaits, comfort their fears with the full knowledge of Your divine presence. Strengthen their resolve to walk in the footstep of Jesus as modern-day disciples in a world that needs their spirit. Guide their feet as they move through life, protecting them from pitfalls of darkness while they help lead future generations into the warmth and promise of Your light. We ask this blessing upon each of them, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”📷 Aaron Joseph
#archdioceseofhartford Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic Schools #CatholicLifePhotography
