Dear Students of the Class of 2023,
Congratulations on your graduation! On behalf of the Office of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Columbus, it is my privilege and honor to welcome more than 1,100 of you into the alumni community of Our Catholic Schools. Along with your family and friends, we are so proud of all you have done throughout your high school career.
Graduation day undoubtedly marks the end of a chapter in your life. However, it also marks the beginning of a new chapter as you move forward to discover all that God has planned for you. While your senior year of high school may be remembered as a series of “lasts”, there are many, many “firsts” for you in your next chapter.
It is the hope of all of us who work in Catholic education that you, our graduates, are ready to be young men and women of faith, ready to serve our Church and our world. We pray that you live out the faith they have learned, remembering the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to “persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). We thank God for the good you have seen and done in high school, and are confident that the Lord will walk with you through the adventures ahead.
You have been educated in faith-filled schools by men and women who live their lives in service to Jesus and the Gospel. I implore you to make Jesus a part of your life, too. Keep Him front and center in your heart and mind, in good times and challenging ones, and you will always find the strength to endure. Apostle Paul encourages us again, “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). I pray that you always remember this.
Again, congratulations on your graduation! Please be assured of all our prayers for this next chapter in your journey and may God continue to bless you, your families, your friends and all of the teachers, administrators, who have supported you along the way.
