Bishop congratulates St. Bernard graduates

By Tanya Connor | THe Catholic Free Press

Graduates of St. Bernard Central Catholic High School in Fitchburg were offered not only congratulations, but also ways to handle hard times, at their baccalaureate Mass and commencement ceremony that took place without them in attendance Tuesday evening.
After Bishop McManus celebrated the Mass in the nearly empty St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester, Michael J. Clark, associate superintendent and head of school for St. Bernard’s, “presented” the graduates to him. Their photos and names were shown as their names were read aloud by Paul Constantino, dean of students, and Linda Anderson, principal. The Mass was streamed live on the diocesan website and aired on Spectrum cable TV. Debbie Maloney, director of admissions, served as cantor, and David Gardiner, valedictorian, served as lector.
Bishop McManus congratulated the graduates in his name and in the name of the diocese. He said it was a great moment, but that he was sure they were disappointed, given the circumstances. He said his prayer is that they will leave school prepared spiritually and intellectually to face all the challenges life will give them. He then asked them to bow their heads and prayed that they will lead lives of humble service, following Jesus’ example.
Father Joseph M. Dolan, pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Fitchburg and chaplain for the school, preached about difficulties, including a virus that doesn’t seem to be going away soon. He said St. Thomas Aquinas said that God’s providence “extends itself to the particular.” That is, God is a part of each of our lives.
God gives us blessings so we can grow, Father Dolan said; he doesn’t give us the bad things. But his providence extends itself even to those things, enabling us to bear up under them. When Jesus described the kingdom of God, he was talking about our relationship with God, Father Dolan said. If you seek a relationship with God, you won’t have to worry about how healthy or sick, blessed or struggling you are, he said.
We love God and embrace his kingdom by obeying him, and we obey him by loving one another, he said. To “do what God asks you to do … do the loving thing,” he said.
We’re in the midst of a pandemic but should not worry about where we find ourselves, he said.
He acknowledged that feelings can be helpful, like when fear lets us know that something isn’t safe. But fear can also go too far, like when we view other people as dangerous instead of as brothers and sisters worthy of respect. Father Dolan urged listeners not to let fear keep them from doing the right thing.
Prayers at the Mass asked God to calm people’s hearts in these difficult days and reward the students’ teachers, parents, and all who helped them get to this day, and bless their friends and classmates, that the love they’ve shared will sustain them and keep them close.
The baccalaureate Masses and commencement ceremonies for the other central Catholic high schools – St. Peter-Marian and Holy Name – were to be held after The Catholic Free Press deadline. Go to the diocesan website 
https://worcesterdiocese.org/baccalaureate-masses

In Worcester, WCCA TV is re-broadcasting the Baccalaureate Masses from all three diocesan Central Catholic high schools. WCCA is Channel 194 on the Charter/Spectrum cable system and available in Worcester only.

The times are:
Saturday, May 30, at 1:30 p.m.,  St. Bernard
Saturday, May 30, at 5:30 p.m.,  Holy Name
Sunday, May 31, at 12:30 p.m., St. Peter-Marian