Top photo caption: At Notre Dame High’s Baccalaureate, Bishop O’Connell reminds graduates that the Eucharist is what unifies them with Christ and with others. Mike Ehrmann photo
By EmmaLee Italia, Contributing Editor
Celebrants at Baccalaureate Masses in Catholic schools gave the Class of 2026 spiritual graces and some advice for the next leg of their life journeys.
Evoking the first reading from the feast of Corpus Christi June 6, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., told graduates of Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, “This is your moment to remember.”
“Moses tells the people ‘Remember the journey … the desert … the hunger … how God fed you with manna and taught you that ‘not by bread alone does one live.’”
In that same vein, he said, “Remember the journey that brought you here: the friendships, the challenges, the victories, the disappointments, the teachers and coaches who formed you, and the families who supported you. Moses’ words are meant for you as well: Don’t forget the God who has walked with you through it all.”
The Bishop encouraged the graduates to embrace their futures knowing that they had come to this moment with the help of others and of God.
“Parents, teachers, mentors, friends and classmates have helped shape the person you have become,” he said. “The Eucharist not only unites us with Christ; it unites us with one another. And that unity carries a mission.”
At a May 19 Baccalaureate at St. Mary Mother of God Church, Middletown, for graduates of Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, he told them St. Paul did not boast about his accomplishments.
“He doesn’t list awards, titles, or accolades. He simply says: I did what God asked me to do.
“Graduates, that is the heart of Christian leadership: Not applause. Not prestige. Not the next impressive line on a résumé. It is the courage to say: ‘I did not shrink from the work God entrusted to me.’ And that is a challenge worth carrying into the next chapter of your life.”
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Father Garry Koch, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, celebrated the Baccalaureate Mass for graduates of St. John Vianney High School.
“Tonight, you look in two directions – back to where you have been and ahead to where you are going,” Father Koch said.
High school experiences, he told them, are generally good preparation for life. The most important experiences, however, are those “that are largely unmeasurable and often even too subtle to notice they are happening,” such as self-discovery, discerning God’s will, learning how to turn challenges into opportunities and obstacles into new paths of investigation.
He encouraged the graduates to remember the Gospel’s call to love God and neighbor.
“As we enter into a relationship with God built upon his unconditional love for us … we are necessarily drawn to a deeper sense of our love for self,” he said. “We can then begin to authentically love our neighbor … ready to sacrifice the self to advance the welfare of others.”
Both opportunities and challenges on the road ahead are endless, Father Koch told the graduates.
“Many of us feel uncertain about the future; too many of us have lost hope,” he noted, “yet here we are in this church, which is for us a beacon of hope – so how do we make that hope present to the world?”
“Remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your lives,” Father Koch said. “Stay true to the faith … and invest wisely the gifts, opportunities, and challenges that the Lord places before you.”
A personal portrait of God
Father Scott Shaffer, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Toms River, told the graduates of Donovan Catholic to focus on their relationship with God as they move forward.
“Scriptures were chosen and provided for us by Holy Mother Church, to lead us from doctrine or dogma into the mystery that is the special relationship that’s revealed to us by Jesus,” he said. “If we listen with our hearts, we end up with a very personal portrait of God.”
The Sign of the Cross, he said, shows how to be guided by the Trinity.
“As you touch your forehead, understand … that you can know God lovingly stands over you,” he said. “Of the Son … your hand goes to your heart … there Christ meets us and our earthly experiences; and of the Holy Spirit, we touch each shoulder … from the East to the West … we have begun to know intimately the God who loves us beyond all measure.”
In his homily for the Baccalaureate Mass at St. Rose High School, Belmar, Father Christopher Dayton, pastor of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, touched on the words of Pope Leo XIV, that “‘True friendship is built … on the courage to walk together toward truth, even when the road is uncertain.’ But we also know – and your first reading from Acts reminds us – that unity is not always easy. St. Paul stands before a divided council. There is tension, disagreement, even conflict. And Paul … stands firm in the truth of who he is and what he believes.”
Father Dayton told the graduates: “Remember St. Paul. Stand firm in your faith … remember what you believe. And don’t be afraid to witness to the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
He reassured the students that although “there will be days ahead when you feel unsure, overwhelmed, or even lost … you don’t have to have it all figured out. Faith isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about knowing where to turn when you don’t.”
“Stay close to the Lord; stay close to him in prayer,” he continued. “Stay connected to the Church and the sacraments. Stay grounded in the friendships that lead you closer to God – not away from him.”
The ability to see
Msgr. Joseph N. Rosie, pastor of St. James Parish, Red Bank, used his Baccalaureate homily to tell Red Bank Catholic grads to use the example of Bartimaeus, the blind man who cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”
“You may encounter moments when your faith is dismissed, when your values are challenged, when your desire for meaning and truth is overshadowed by noise,” Msgr. Rosie said. “Bartimaeus teaches us something essential: Do not let the world silence the deepest cry of your heart. When you need clarity, when you seek purpose, when you long to understand your place in the world – cry out to the Lord.”
God is inviting you to vision, Msgr. Rosie told the graduates, and “the ability to see truth clearly in a world that often distorts it. To see the dignity of every human person. To see beyond surface appearances and recognize what truly matters. To see your own vocation – not just what you will do, but who you are called to be.”
After Bartimaeus received his sight, he immediately followed Jesus.
“Seeing leads to following,” Msgr. Rosie said. “Vision leads to discipleship. The goal is not simply to understand life better – it is to live it differently. To walk with Christ on the road ahead.”