'You Are Worth it' - Bishop Quinn Offers Wisdom, Encouragement at Baccalaureate Mass

AUSTIN - On Wednesday, April 27, graduating seniors from the Diocese of Winona Rochester's four Catholic high schools - Loyola in Mankato, Pacelli in Austin, Lourdes in Rochester and Cotter in Winona - met at St. Augustine Church in Austin for a Baccalaureate Mass celebrated by Bishop John M. Quinn, and concelebrated by pastors from the school communities.

In his homily, Bishop Quinn recalled a recent flight he took, after which a woman struggled against a long rush of impatient fellow passengers to recover a cell phone and rosary she had forgotten on the plane.

He told the graduates, "Throughout our lives, we've got to ask the question that that woman asked herself: is it worth it? If we think we have something valuable, is it worth it to push against the crowd ... to find what we lost or to hold on to what we believe is important, even willing to, at times, take some insult for the truth?"

He went on to remind the graduates that they themselves are "worth it."

"As far away as we could get from God," he said, "God came on a rescue mission. We’re that valuable. We’re like what that woman left on the plane. And it says in the New Testament that Jesus Christ was sent

and became one of us, became incarnate, took on our human flesh, because he loved us that much. He was even willing to put up with all that our human nature brings, even to the point of taking our sin. That’s how much he loved us. ... God wants us in heaven. He wants us one day to enjoy eternal life with him."

At the end of Mass, Bishop Quinn blessed baskets of olive wood crucifixes, which were presented to the students by their pastors.

"We thought, 'What a fitting gift to give each of our graduates!'" said Bishop Quinn in his homily, "that, as you complete your time with us at our Catholic schools and you move on to other places of education or to the military or into the business world, you go with Jesus Christ, so that you know you’re worth every drop of his blood, you were worth every insult he took ... Hang it in a prominent place. Let it be a sign of hope, but also of love, that you’re that valuable, that God died for you so that the gates of heaven would be opened wide."

After Mass, the school administrators presented Bishop Quinn with a clock, in recognition of his dedication to Catholic education.

A recording of the Mass can be viewed on St. Augustine and St. Edward's Facebook page: facebook.com/sasecatholic/