Enjoy selections from Salesian Speeches
John Gormley
John “Jack” Gormley, Salesianum School Class President
From where we sit at this moment, though, I want to ask you this question. Was it really just the highs and lows that made our Salesianum experience remarkable? For myself, looking back, it was not. It’s easy to look back on the roller coaster ride and remember the big drops or the loops. But there’s the anticipation of the slow climb. The moments in between when you are trying to catch your breath. Talking and laughing about it all with friends as you go through it together. The reason we sit here today shoulder by shoulder in our white tuxes isn’t just because we have finished all the requirements and are now receiving a diploma from Salesianum. It's because we are receiving something more. We are joining a group of individuals that have taken all the lessons from Salesianum, big and small, and brought them into the real world. And before we walk out of these bleachers for the last time, we can take a breath together, and think about what it all meant to experience this as brothers.
The Latin word for breath is Spirit. It’s the root for words like inspiration, respiration, or even perspiration (if you know me this might be the most important). When we talk about words like school spirit it’s not just pride and excitement for each other, it really is that breath we all feel within us that binds us together. Even the Holy Spirit is a reminder that we all have God’s own breath within us, giving us life… Read full speech
Colin McGhee
Colin McGhee, Salesianum School
Recipient of the Rev. Thomas A. Lawless, OSFS, 1908 Gold Master Award for First in Class Rank Over Four Years
The concept of faith is very complex. Faith is different for every person in this room, and it comes in many different forms: faith in yourself, faith in others, and faith in God. But, even among the complexity, there exists a certain simplicity that has made it the cornerstone behind our school, our brotherhood, and our family for the past 120 years: trust. Put simply, faith is nothing more than trust; faith is to trust yourself, someone else, or God, to believe in them whole-heartedly, and it is this simplicity that turns such a profound concept into a centerpiece of our everyday life, as no matter what you choose to put your faith in, you are forming a bond of love, a union of hope.
Every day, when we said the Direction of Intention and asked God for His grace to live the day well, we learned that God will always be there to guide us as long as we have faith in Him. And, when we met the challenge from Fr. Chirs Beretta, OSFS, to step up as seniors and lead the school this year with maturity and humility, we learned that we can accomplish much more than we ever thought possible, as long as we have faith in ourselves. Sallies is and was a wonderful community filled with love, hope, and trust, and it is a place where we have grown to become better people, but without that faith, without a belief in God, ourselves, and each other, none of it would have been possible. Thus, Salesianum is faith; to have faith is to be a true Salesian…Read full speech
Scotty Buff with Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS, SFS Vice-President.
Scotty Buff, St. Francis de Sales School
Now. Here. This. Our Salesian theme this year.
We have heard it every morning as we start our day with prayer by either Mr. Trovato or Mr. Petro, where it feels like they take a five-minute pause between each word. I do believe this is an important part because each word is then emphasized individually.
God has called us to do many things, but finding what we love as we enter the adult world is extremely important. Not only will it make whatever we do easier because we love it, but because we love it, we will become more successful.
The brotherhood we have all built with each other here over the past four years is unprecedented. The times we have been through, the ups and the downs, none of this would happen without this building here. The faculty, staff, and coaches here are so invested in our futures. From Doc. Uram's preaching of repetition to the Oblates’ continuous support of whatever it is that we are doing and Coach Brent's extreme passion towards anyone and everything. We would not be the people we are right now without this building…Read full speech
John Clark
John Clark, Father Judge High School
My name is John Clark. I have actively participated in all aspects of life at Father Judge: academic, athletic, and school leadership. While maintaining my grades, I was also on the cross country, indoor track, and baseball teams for all four years. I was also a captain of the cross country team, a student council class representative, and a member of the National Honor Society. All of these experiences provided by Judge have allowed me and our whole class to exercise and live out the seven Salesian virtues, handed down to us by our patron, St. Francis de Sales.
The most significant of which I believe, especially for us now and into the future, is to Be Grateful. I believe it is of utmost importance for us to recognize and be grateful for the great life and opportunities provided to us by God, as we have attended Father Judge, have grown within the Catholic community, and currently live in the greatest nation to ever exist. I am extremely grateful for the character-building experiences and challenges provided by the school as I know I am more than prepared to succeed in the next step of my life at the United States Air Force Academy…Read full speech
