Commencement Address for Holy Trinity High School - a podcast by Fr. Chris Valka, CSB

RITUAL AND TRANSITION

First of all, I want to congratulate you on all that has brought you to this day, as well as the people who have brought you here: your families, friends, mentors, teachers, coaches and supporters. It is an honor to be able to celebrate this moment with you.

Ironically, it is a day I did not participate in myself. I simply didn’t like the pomp and circumstance, and I have never liked a lot of attention.

What I did not appreciate in my younger years, and most certainly something I appreciate now, is the importance of ritual. It is an old-sounding kind of word, usually conjuring images of royalty, or medieval or primal images in our mind. But I assure you, we are ritualistic people because they help us to accept the changes that are necessary in order for us to grow. We need moments when we break our routine and recognize that we are different . . . as do the people around us. We need moments to celebrate, lest we forget how far we have come – because we have.

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