Prelude: The Baccalaureate Mass

The final day. The first of 2 events for the day. The Baccalaureate Mass.

Having rested from overnight graduation retreat, my son, and the rest of the 8th graders, was ready for this day. Call time was at 10am, wherein all 8th graders asked to converge at Room 6 -- their home classroom for the past year. The mass was scheduled for 10:30am, with the entire student population, including faculty and staff, attending.

As soon as the kids were dropped off, the parents and their guests proceeded to the church to find their seat. Most of the parents stayed at the back of the church because everyone else occupied the pews. At 10:30am, the piano played and the graduates started marching down the aisle from the hall.

The mass was presided by Fr. Manny, and was co-celebrated by Fr. Jun. The main celebrant gave a simple, heart-warming homily about their remembering their experiences, thanking those who have helped, doing good, and looking forward to better and brighter things beyond St. Joe.

Right after mass, there were a few awards given out. My son received the Presidential Award for Physical Fitness and for Altar Serving. Earlier in the week, he also received pins for merit and academic excellence, as well as for his participation in extra curricular activities, that include tutoring, student government, drama, and ecology.

One of the interesting sidelights of the Baccalaureate Mass was seeing how these 8th graders have grown and matured overnight, as everyone was dressed to a tee. The girls were pretty in their make up, coiffed hair, and high heels, while the boys were dapper in their suits and matching ties.

After mass, all the 8th graders proceeded to the steps of the old Mission church to a group photograph. Our class commissioned a professional photographer/videographer to capture both Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation in still and video, with each family receiving a copy of both. It took a while for the kids to get settled into position, as the parents scrambled to get their own photographs. The photographer actually gave the parents (and everyone else) ample time to do their thing before he did his. But no one wanted to budge and make way. Sigh.

After snapping a few, we headed out for a quick bite, then rested before the main event -- the Graduation ceremony.