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 Celebrate Graduates
(middle, high school & college, too)
How does your parish recognize the graduation milestone? Are you able to help those graduating and their families see this time as holy? Here are some strategies that may help you:
1) Consider a blessing during Mass and incorporating high school (and possibly all) graduates into your general intercessions. (A blessing may be found in the Book of Blessings in The Order of Blessing of Students and Teachers.)
2) Gather contact information including cell phone numbers for occasional communication from the parish to the graduate. Consider taking prayer requests from students who are at home or away who are sometimes at a very stressful time of their lives.
3) Consider connecting college students with Catholic Campus Ministry or near-by parishes in their college towns. This can be an important way that we can help young adults unite with the faith community. If you would like to make this connection for your graduating seniors in your parish or associated with your ministry, they may enroll in several ways:
* Connect with the College Connection for Catholics sponsored by the Serra Club USA and NET Ministries, click here to visit their site.
4) Watch a YouTube video about campus ministry at the University of Toledo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRp8LxvOQps
5) Check out Busted Halo's Freshman Survival Guide - a new book published by the Busted Halo editors http://thefreshmansurvivalguide.com/ (Possibly offer this as gift to graduating seniors too!)
6) Click here for a one page guide from Busted Halo's Freshman Survival Guide.
These few strategies may help you and your parishes continue connecting with graduates. These things can be done to make graduation a meaningful and spiritual event for students, families, and teachers.
Graduation Blessing
God of Beginnings,
We ask your blessing on all those graduating this year as they prepare to move on to a new beginning in their lives.
Help them to rejoice in the hard work that has brought them to this point, and keep them safe as they celebrate their accomplishments.
Loving God, guide these graduates on the journey ahead as they prepare to encounter new and exciting opportunities.
Bless these graduates with humility in times of success and strength in times of challenge.
Help them to remember all those in their lives that have supported and cared for them. May these graduates always know that they are truly loved and cherished.
Empower them to go forth and continue the work of your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that they will truly be a light of justice and compassion to the world.
We give thanks for the gift that each one of these graduates is to our community, and we rejoice in knowing that they will be a blessing to all those they encounter on their life's journey.
It is in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, that we pray.
Amen.
Diocese of Camden's College Campus Ministries
Stockton College - Catholic Campus Ministry
Lois Dark, ldark@camdendiocese.org
Fr. Mike McCue OSFS, McCue1959@gmail.com
Rowan University - Newman House - Catholic Campus Ministry
Rutgers at Camden - Catholic Campus Ministry
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