April 22, 2011
The Tradition
Seniors celebrate endings and beginnings at Mass at cathedral
Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger is joined by the four senior class presidents before the start of Mass at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville on April 14. They include Kristen Cox from Mater Dei High School, Evansville; Matthew Stewart from Memorial High School, Evansville, Emily Schnarr from Washington Catholic High School in Washington, and Lexi Pea from Rivet High School in Vincennes. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
It was a beautiful morning in April as Memorial High School seniors walked down Lincoln Avenue to St. Benedict Cathedral on Evansville’s eastside. They were the first group to arrive, quickly followed by seniors from Mater Dei High School in Evansville, Rivet High School in Vincennes, and Washington Catholic High School in Washington.
The seniors — all 365 of them — were there to celebrate the end of a tradition and the beginning of a new journey. A few weeks earlier, they had each received a letter from Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger which recalled the “Celebrate the Tradition” in 2000 at Roberts Stadium in Evansville. At that time these seniors were first graders, and each first grader in attendance was given a T-shirt “which probably came to your knees,” the bishop wrote.
He told the seniors that “the time has come for us to celebrate again. This time it is the end of the tradition for us as we both will begin new journeys in the coming months.
“As seniors, you will take the excellence in faith formation and academics with you to higher education or the work force. I will take the gift of being your bishop these past 22 years with me as I retire.”
He then invited them to “join me for Mass to celebrate the blessings of our Catholic schools” on April 14 at the cathedral.
Corie Clouse, now a senior at Washington Catholic, has vague memories of the 2000 celebration. “I remember it was at a stadium, and I remember thinking that the year landed on me and that I would get to go back as a senior.”
When she heard the news about the Mass, she thought “it was a really neat way to end my year with something from so far back.”
Before the Mass began, Donna Halverson, assistant superintendent of schools, held up a T-shirt from the 2000 celebration, and then she showed the students a T-shirt that the bishop received back at the original Tradition celebration in 1989. The front had the words “chief teacher” printed on it, and she told the students that “his support and love for Catholic schools, especially high schools, has always been very evident,” adding, “we are so grateful for his constant support.”
During his homily, the bishop said that he had been a bishop “for 12 days” in 1989 during the first celebration. He asked how many students had attended the celebration in 2000. “Hold up your hands,” he asked, then noted that “many of you” had been in attendance.
After Communion, Tina Kern-Raibley led the students in the song “We Are the Future,” a song she composed for the 1989 celebration. She’s a 1971 graduate of Mater Dei, and she said being asked to attend this year’s Mass was “pretty cool.”
She explained that as the first celebration was being planned, people were asked to respond to a survey. When those surveys were returned, they were given to her, and she was invited to take the words and ideas found in them, and “make a song out of it.” The song she composed was sung at both the 1989 and the 2000 celebrations. Its refrain goes like this: We are, we are the future. We are, we are the past. We are shaping our tomorrows from the mold tradition cast. We celebrate the tradition.”
At the end of the Mass, Washington Catholic senior Joey Montgomery and the four senior class presidents approached the altar. Montgomery said to Bishop Gettelfinger, “We thank you for inviting us to this beautiful ‘End of the Tradition’ Mass. We remember when we were in first grade and attended the ‘Celebrate the Tradition’ Mass at Roberts Stadium.
“Some of us still have the T-shirts you presented us. The stadium seemed so big to us then and there were so many of us. The years between first grade and twelfth grade have gone quickly and we are ready to go onto the next stage of our lives.”
The four class presidents then presented the bishop with a contribution for the newly created Bishop’s Catholic High School Tuition Assistance Endowment.
After Mass, the students walked next door to St. Benedict Cathedral School for a reception. It quickly turned into a photo op, as each class of seniors gathered for a photo with the bishop, first Memorial, then Mater Dei, Rivet and Washington Catholic.
Mary Jo Costello of Washington attended the April 14 Mass at the cathedral. Unlike the seniors who were young children at the time, she had vivid memories of Tradition 2000 which her son Joey Montgomery attended as a first grader. She was dabbing away tears as she remembered that day and how little her son was then.
“We’ve kept that T-shirt all these years. I kept it all these years along with the little bitty one from the hospital.”
Of her son, she said, “I’m so proud of him, and I’m so glad I raised him Catholic.” She added her thoughts about the celebration in 2000. “It was incredibly wonderful. I will never forget it.”