implore you all to continue to serve those around you. To put love and respect first. We are richer when we give. We have more when we share. Now, as we begin to look ahead, take a moment to look around. Remember what you are feeling in this very moment. Take the time to etch every detail, every emotion, the whole experience, into your soul. Remember what it is to belong here. Thank the people around you for their service in your lives. Thank your families for their support. Thank your classmates, your counselors, your coaches, but mostly? Thank your teachers. Fun fact: The word “doctor” comes from the Latin word “docere,” meaning “to teach.” In this way, we heal our world with education. Jesus Christ was a “teacher.” He exemplified our four pillars to the highest degree, and his example reminds us that love is education. I believe education is the ultimate expression of love, of selflessness. Education is providing a future not for ourselves, but for others. Of course, education involves making mistakes, and, as I mentioned earlier, being open to growing with new ideas. Seeing the value in what we don’t know. St. Francis was the first Catholic school I attended, and I learned very quickly the value within making mistakes. As Mrs. Harris always says in choir, “If you’re going to make a mistake, make a loud one, so we can fix it.” And while that has a much more literal meaning in choir class, I have taken it with me elsewhere. Over the past four years I have been no stranger to error, and I urge you all to take with you the
idea that mistakes are the best way to grow. Whether you’re playing soccer, or learning Spanish, or sitting in a calculus class with absolutely no clue what a derivative is, don’t be afraid to speak up and be wrong. Because being wrong gives you the opportunity to listen, to learn from others. I leave St. Francis with more than shared memories and amazing friends. I take what my mistakes taught me. Without these mistakes, I wouldn’t have found my faith, both in God and in my community. I wouldn’t have found what excellence means to me. I wouldn’t have found the places where my leadership was needed most. And I wouldn’t have found the true meaning and joy behind service. It is through trial and error that I discovered what these pillars mean to me. It is through my many mistakes that I kept going and felt what it truly meant to be a Troubadour. Pillars traditionally stay in place, but these we take with us, our faith, our inner excellence, the ability to lead and the need to serve. We will lean on them when we struggle for strength and seek direction. They allowed us to get into colleges and graduate. They will allow us to become doctors, teachers, engineers, lawyers, politicians, and women who change the world. Whatever the future holds, we bring brightness to it. We share our shining time as Simbas, as seniors, as Troubies, as tomorrow’s light we are all brave enough to be. St. Francis has given us this light, and now it is our time to share it with the universe. The world does not belong to us; we belong to the world. We belong to each other.
GRADUATES’ PRAYER
KELLY COLLINS Kelly Collins, a graduate of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, was a member of the Ambassador Leadership Board, a three-year Sports Medicine Intern, and a Christian Service Leader. She is a true servant leader who brings authenticity and dependability to all those she encounters. Her incredible work ethic and natural ability to adapt to a variety of challenges will be put to good use as she studies Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. The following is Kelly’s prayer given at the Baccalaureate Mass for the Class of 2021. Heavenly Father, we pray for us, the graduates of the Class of 2021, as we take the next step in our journey. Gracious God, we thank you for the many blessings and people who have helped us get here today. God of Wisdom, we thank you for our teachers, staff, faculty, and administration who have guided us during our four years of high school. Loving God, thank you for our parents, families, and loved ones who have given us the great opportunity and blessing of our Catholic education. Creator God, thank you for each person who has impacted our lives and shaped us to be the women we are today, the women who are going out to change the world.
Generous God, bless the St. Francis Class of 2021, the twohundred and seventy-seven Simbas that make it up and watch over us as we move into the future. Give us the strength and grace to persevere during challenging times. May we be a light of hope wherever we go. Remind us to draw upon the great knowledge we have learned, the obstacles we have overcome, and the experiences we have had - while walking the halls of St. Francis. May these gifts help us create a more loving, just, and peaceful world. Stay with this class of graduates as we move beyond the campus of St. Francis, show us the great plans you have in store, and allow our futures to be ones filled with peace and hope. In Your Son’s name, we pray, Amen.
FALL 2021 11
