Nolan Beck , DSU Class of ‘22, Provincial Medal of Honor winner.
Sam Dumas, Salesianum School Class of '22, Provincial Medal of Honor winner.
As we begin the month of June, many families will celebrate graduations, promotions, and the end of the school year. At most graduation ceremonies, special awards, certificates, and medals will be given along with the diplomas.
In the Oblate world, graduation is a time to recognize and acknowledge the Salesian spirit, values, and virtues that have been taught and nurtured at our schools alongside academics, athletics, and service. At each graduation ceremony in an Oblate or Oblate-affiliated school, one graduate is chosen to receive the “Provincial Medal of Honor.” This award is given to a student who embodies the spirit of St. Francis de Sales and tries to put into practice the Salesian values and virtues that have been handed on by the teachers, staff, coaches, and Oblates in our schools. Our schools and our community hope that the recipients of this medal of honor will continue to be inspired by the teachings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. We pray that those who receive this award will be a living sign of Salesian Spirituality as they go into the future to try to “live Jesus” each day.
This weekend the Church will celebrate Trinity Sunday. The liturgy proclaims the mystery of our faith in One God in Three Divine Persons. Many preachers will focus on the relationship of the Triune-God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As Christians, we are part of the life of God and share in this special relationship, this special mission. Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus commissioned His followers to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).” In other words, Jesus tells us that we are to be signs of the relationship that God shares within the Trinity and with us.
In one of the pamphlets he wrote to explain the faith, St. Francis de Sales wrote about the sign of the cross as a powerful reminder of the love of God. He suggests that we use it before many tasks, not just before formal prayer. In this way, every action, every moment becomes a prayer and an offering to God. He tells us that the phrase we use when we make this sign, the same phrase we use to baptize and bring new Christians into our community - “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…” – are the most powerful words in our language.
In our spiritual lives, believers do not need documents, degrees, medals, or awards to prove we have a relationship with God. We do not need special signs or certificates. What we do need is the faith to listen to the Lord, the grace to follow His teachings, and the hope to live like Jesus.
As graduation season begins and we celebrate our students and their accomplishments, the Oblates pray that all of the young people who pass through our schools will have a relationship with God and will be a sign to the world that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16, Gospel for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity).”
Father Jack Kolodziej, OSFS
Provincial
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province
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