Last month, my wife and I had the chance to attend our second high school baccalaureate Mass and graduation as parents. Our son, Roland, celebrated with Dominican High School's Class of 2026 in a traditional ceremony of speeches, awards and granting of diplomas. Graduation parties, family celebrations and final athletic competitions concluded a festive flurry of events that brought my son's high school journey to an end.
For many parents, school graduations — and all the events that come with them — are a mixed blessing. Celebrating with our children and fellow school families can be great fun, but this season also marks a period of tremendous personal change. Over the next few months, my son will say goodbye to lifelong friends, leave his parents and siblings, and move into a college dorm to meet an entirely new set of roommates and friends. It is a world of possibilities filled with excitement, anxiety and unknown outcomes.
I am exceptionally thankful for the solid foundation Catholic schools provided for my son and the partnership that a Catholic school community offers those of us on this parenting journey. From kindergarten to high school graduation, our son's time in school has been intentionally intertwined with our family's faith. Catholic schools have provided him with a community rich in prayer, compassion and the sacramental life of the Church. Parenting is not easy, and there will undoubtedly be times of stress and frustration, but we have always known that our children have been surrounded and supported by a Catholic community when away from home.
As the superintendent of schools of the archdiocese, I have the great joy of being able to attend graduation celebrations across many of our elementary and high schools. These events have become an opportunity to focus on the values that make Catholic schools unique. While public and Catholic schools both honor academic achievement through recognizing a class valedictorian or publishing their honor rolls, Catholic schools celebrate other important values. Many Catholic high schools now recognize graduating seniors who have dedicated themselves to following our Catholic social teachings. Schools honor students who have made a personal commitment to serving those in need or by accumulating a high number of community service hours.
Some Catholic high schools recognize senior leaders not just for academic achievement but for striving to embody their school's holistic vision of the graduate. Awards that encompass a school's complete "grad at grad" profile — a statement of who a graduate is called to be — include an understanding of how a young person has embraced prayer and borne witness to their faith. The full experience of Catholic education, including faith, community and service, is as essential to education as intellectual growth. With a Catholic worldview and an active prayer life, the graduates of our Catholic high schools are equipped to face the uncertainties of their transition to college and beyond.
Roland Foy, Dominican High School Class of 2026, poses with his sisters, Grace '24 and Claire '29. In this month's column, Superintendent Edward Foy reflects on graduation season, the lasting impact of Catholic education and the communities that help form young people in faith. (Submitted photo)
Graduation events also serve as a time for students, school staff and parents to say goodbye. Along with student departure comes the retirements of teachers and staff who have dedicated their professional lives to serving students. The opportunity to celebrate these incredible educators is another way that our communities show how Catholic schools are different from other types of schools. Catholic schools operate as faith communities, not just secular institutions.
Before coming to the archdiocese, I spent nineteen years at Dominican as a teacher and then administrator. Every day, I was greeted by the same smiling face of the receptionist who staffed the main office. This year, Dominican honored the twenty-nine years of service that Mrs. Pam Keller gave to its students, parents and staff. Nicknamed "Mama Keller" decades ago, she took care of each and every student as if they were her own child. Mrs. Keller was the warm hug, the big smile and the shoulder to cry on that every student needs at some point in high school. You could not walk through the school's front doors without feeling her presence and her love for the community she served.
Some institutions may not place their receptionist on par with other key academic leaders, but Catholic schools recognize the inherent importance of all members of their school community. Every student and staff person is called to serve the mission and care for one another as members of a Christian community. Dominican celebrated Mama Keller's retirement in the same way that it would celebrate an accomplished AP teacher or a major donor because her gift of service is just as important.
Catholic schools consistently achieve impressive academic results, but forming young people into persons who care for one another and for their world is the true test of a special school community. That type of achievement takes the work of every member of the Catholic school community from principals and teachers to receptionists and parents. Together we prepare our graduates to go into the world ready to serve, to lead and to continue a life of faith.
