June 7, 2013

Cathedral High School celebrates 129th graduation

 

REGIONAL

Story and photos by Peggy Weber

SPRINGFIELD – Amid pomp, circumstance and some rain, the 129^th graduation of Cathedral High School was held June 7 in St. Michael’s Cathedral, here, at 11 a.m.

The 80 members of the Class of 2013 marched into the church where the school began in 1883. The students celebrated four years of growth and change. Mary Kate Sullivan offered the welcome.

“Some may consider 13 an unlucky number. However, I’d like to assure you my class has survived a tornado, a hurricane and even an October blizzard — none of which has stopped us yet!” she said. She stressed their adversity has made them stronger and closer and helped them appreciate Cathedral.

“We have carried on the tradition and legacy symbolized by a Cathedral High School education. Our commitment to God and each other has been strengthened and we have learned to celebrate our faith,” she said.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said he came to the graduation as the city leader and as a parent of a student. He noted the school was hit hard by the 2011 tornado that forced the school to relocate to a temporary home in Wilbraham.

He said the difficulties faced by the students during their time “have carried you to this point in time. And that is going to be invaluable as you move forward in your career.”

“Cathedral caries the tradition of leadership and you will carry it on,” he said.

Alexa de Villier, the fourth of five in her family to graduate from Cathedral, offered the class farewell.

“It was once said by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that faith is taking the first step even when we don’t see the full staircase. This quote, in its simplicity, summarizes the journey of the 2013 graduating class of Cathedral High School.”

However, she stressed that the adversity of a tornado and other difficulties is not the legacy of the class.

Rather, she said that “we have been given the privilege to be individuals as well as students.” And she said the celebration of faith and the development of their spiritual life is what has prepared them for the future.

Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell awarded the diplomas to each member of the class. He reminded the students that the school began in two rooms right behind the altar. And he praised the firm foundation in faith and academics that was provided at Cathedral High School.

Matt Foley, of Longmeadow and a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Springfield, was named valedictorian of the class. He earned the number one status while playing as a defenseman on the Cathedral boys’ hockey team.

He acknowledged that combining sports and school work “is tough but it is something I am used to doing. Freshman year is when you learn time managment and your ‘ve got to do both,” he said.

He said that being valedictorian “it’s definitely nice – a lot of hard work, but really the important thing is to be graduating with all of my firends. I had such a great experience her at Cathedral and that”s what the real honor is.”

Foley will attend prep school in the fall.

Chad Fanti of Springfield was the salutatorian. He was a member of the final graduating class from the former Our Lady of Hope School. A member of St. Rose de Lima Parish in Chicopee, Fanti said he went to Cathedral because “it gives you a great education. They have a strong science program and that’s what I want to do.”

Fanti will attend Tufts University in the fall and major in either biology or chemistry.

He said that he was proud and surprised at being second in the class. But like Foley, he focused on how much he enjoyed the community of Cathedral.

“It was definitely a unique experience with the tornado righ in the middle of it all –right at the end of my sophomore year. But the thing I like the most about Cathedral is that you feel like a family when you are here. Everyone is nice to each other. Everyone loves each other,” he said.

Ninety-eight percent of the graduating class members are going on for further education and more than $5 million was awarded in scholarships and grant money to the students.