October 25, 2011
Since the start of the school year, it has become part of my routine to make it to the morning Mass here at school.
We are fortunate to have Father Barry Gross—chaplain and faculty member for more than 26 years—celebrate Mass each week before first period on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Usually there's just four or five of us, mostly faculty and staff, and one of our neighbors from Andrew Kim House (though this morning we were joined by about 20 students and parents for the Commissioning Mass for our fall senior retreat leaders). The magnificent setting of our chapel, the true heart of the building, adds to a simple and profound way to begin the work day.
Much less often, we have a Mass here on the weekend. This past Sunday, to bring closure to a successful reunion weekend, Fr. Gross celebrated the Alumni Memorial Mass. With all the activity of a very busy few days of alumni events, the word "memorial" had somehow escaped my notice. So, I turned up with my wife and daughter, not entirely expecting the striking solemnity and the expressions of mourning that were part of the liturgy.
At the beginning of Mass, Fr. Gross read from the Our Lady of Good Counsel High School Book of Remembrance. The names of alumni who had passed in the prior year were recalled. Then Father invited forward any persons who had names to add to the book. The pain of loss was visible as three families came forward to write the names of Falcons gone too soon. It must have been difficult to do. The congregation joined in a Litany of Remembrance that ended, "So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are now a part of us, as we remember them."
This expression of solidarity, embedded in the sacredness of the Mass, speaks to what is special about Catholic schools. The unexpectedly moving experience of last Sunday's Alumni Memorial Mass was a beautiful reminder of what strength and support can be found in belonging to this faith community.