HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION LITURGY OF THE WORD Guidelines ...

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Graduation from High School GUIDELINES Graduation from Senior High School is an important occasion in the lives of the graduates, their families, friends, teachers, other school staff, and younger students. Graduation marks the end of High School education. It is also the beginning of a new phase of the students’ lives: further schooling for some, employment for others, perhaps married life. For all, it is a “rite of passage” from adolescence to relative maturity and greater independence. High School graduation is a time to recognize what the graduating students have accomplished and the effort that was required to reach this goal. It is a time to celebrate the ups and downs that accompanied not only the academic work but also the maturing that is part of High School education. It is a time to look forward in hope and expectation to what the future will bring. It is a time for students to thank teachers and other school staff, their families, and their fellow students for helping them reach this moment. The Celebration of Graduation The celebration of graduation has several dimensions. One of these is academic and this is expressed through the conferring of diplomas, the valedictory address, and perhaps other speeches. A second dimension is social: parties at home and among the graduating students, both in school and elsewhere. Neither the academic nor social aspect of graduation is explicitly religious in nature. For Catholics and other Christians and persons of other faiths, graduation also has a religious dimension. This calls for religious celebrations to accompany the academic and social aspects. Graduation is a time for students to give thanks for the presence of God throughout their High School years. It is a time as well to ask for God’s blessing and presence in their lives to come. It is a time to commit themselves to living the Christian life more seriously and intentionally in the days and years that lie ahead. The graduation of students from Catholic secondary schools is also an important event for the local Church community to which they belong. It is an occasion to acknowledge the rich heritage of faith in and by which the graduates have been nourished during their formative years in our Catholic schools. It is also an occasion to celebrate the variety of gifts manifest in our young people and to give thanks to God who is the giver of all good things. Liturgical Celebration of Graduation Liturgy is communal ritual prayer. The conferring of diplomas and accompanying speeches is not Christian liturgy. How are liturgy and academic exercises to be related at the time of Senior High School Graduation? How can both kinds of events be celebrated without neglecting the proper character of each?
The religious celebration of graduation may be expressed through liturgical celebrations that are carried out independently of the academic exercises. Liturgies may be celebrated some time before or after the graduation itself. Such liturgies could be celebrated in the school or in the parish. It is customary in many instances to combine the religious and academic dimensions of graduation in a single occasion. A recommended form for celebration is a Liturgy of the Word followed by Academic Exercises. Several factors need to be taken into consideration. One is the total length of the event, which should not be excessive. Secondly, the liturgical and academic elements need to be reasonably well balanced in emphasis. Finally, the two elements should be connected, and not just set side by side. The Eucharist The Eucharist (the Mass) is the principal Sunday celebration of the Catholic Church. It is not, however, the only liturgy of the Church. The celebration of the Eucharist at academic graduation exercises is strongly discouraged. It is not appropriate to insert the conferring of diplomas, the valedictory address, etc. into the middle of the Eucharistic Liturgy, i.e. at the end of the Liturgy of the Word or before the concluding rite. Although this is an important part of the graduation ceremony, it would introduce a lengthy and primarily non-religious element into the Eucharistic Liturgy and would disrupt its unity. It is also inappropriate to celebrate the Eucharist immediately following the conclusion of the academic part of graduation. Each part – the liturgy, the conferring of diplomas, the speeches – requires a significant length of time. A combined celebration will be uncomfortably long. The celebration of the Eucharist requires attention and energy, and this is also true of the academic exercises. It would be difficult to celebrate both elements well under these circumstances. At many graduation celebrations a significant number of graduates, fellow students, family members and guests will not be Roman Catholics. They will not be able to participate fully in a Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy. Under such circumstances, the Eucharist can be divisive rather than a sacrament of unity. A Parish Eucharist Parishes are encouraged to take note of a High School graduation in a parish celebration of the Eucharist, perhaps on a convenient evening or on a Sunday afternoon, in the students’ parishes the week before or after graduation. This might be done by issuing a special invitation to graduates and their families and by welcoming them warmly. Their presence and achievement might be noted in the presider’s opening greeting, the preaching and the general intercessions. Graduates who are practicing members of their faith community and who are qualified to do so, might serve as liturgical ministers. A reception or meal for graduates and their families and guests might follow the celebration of the Eucharist. PASTORAL NOTES The basic principles of contemporary liturgical celebration apply to High School graduation liturgies. One important principle is that Christ is present in the assembly (the gathered people), in the presiding minister, and in the Word of God.
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Page 9 and 10: Concluding Prayer Presider: Lord Je

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