Good evening, Bishop Cote, Father Tito, Mother Anthony, Members of the Board Faculty, Parents, Friends and Graduates! It is an honor and a blessing to have the opportunity to join you here tonight and I want to thank Sister Mary Jude and Sister Christina for inviting me. Congratulations on completing this first stage of your journey. . .
There are a number of lessons to remember as the second stage of your journey unfolds, as you step forward into your full development as a Catholic woman.
--Always cherish your faith and your family, these are the foundations that shape who you will be as a woman.
-When you feel challenged in your new environments seek out the opportunities to continue to practice your faith, and all that you have learned about serving others and living in ways that are pleasing to Our Lord.
--Seek out the Catholic centers and organizations on or near your campus. If your campus has no organization, seek the nearest parish to continue to nourish your faith. ---Being away from home may pose challenges that include peer pressure and social activities that may require you to stand strong and firm to make wise choices. Always think of whether your actions and words will honor you as a Catholic woman and honor your family, and remember that you will live with the consequences of your choices for the rest of your lives.
–Make sure the lessons you learn will be something you can share with your children and that they can learn from in the future.
--You may encounter roommates, classmates and or co-workers with different beliefs and values, and that diversity is part of the richness of the world we live in, but it is also a challenge that we face in order to remain strong in our convictions while accepting that others may not share our perspectives and values. You may find these perspectives in class content, professors, classmates, textbooks and you will need to be clear and reaffirm your faith along the way.
In many ways Holy Family has prepared you to go out and make a difference, through your example of compassion and caring. The leadership skills you developed here will give you the strength to continue on the path of service and collaboration to make the world a better place. For that is the legacy you leave here for the next graduates and what we all trust that you will leave wherever you go.
There will be difficulties to face, hard work and new responsibilities. You will need to be very organized and plan ahead….read and prepare for classes…don’t leave anything for the last minute –always be prepared and begin each day and end each day with God at the helm, and in thankfulness for all that you are blessed with.
As women, we bear more responsibility in fostering dialogue and faith in all whose lives we touch….Through Mary our mother we learn to be mothers and to guide our sons and daughters in a life of faith. When your strength falters remember her courage and faith and continue to pray for her intercession.
My words to you today have come from my own struggles as I walked through life and confronted adversity, and varying degrees of dismissal of my faith in my work environments and even in my family. In spite of this, or in the midst of it, all of my life I have felt blessed. My faith and prayers have sustained me…as I hope they do you. Memories of my grandmother going to daily mass at 6:00 am in Puerto Rico…and of my mother reading scripture and praying every morning until she passed away…are still with me. Their deep faith and trust in God and their devotion to Our Lady, have been an inspiration throughout my own life. This is so because along with their faith they practiced acts of kindness in their everyday lives that reflected this faith---helping and serving others even when their own resources were scarce---my mother would fix meals for sick and elderly and have us deliver them and do errands for neighbors who were homebound…thus modeling and teaching by example, that we had a sacred duty to care for others no matter where we stood. This is how I learned of what I needed to be as a Catholic woman, as a mother, as a teacher, as a neighbor and as a friend.