The members of the Class of 2026 gathered in Prep’s gymnasium with family, friends, faculty, and staff on May 7 for the annual Junior Class Mass. Each year, this celebration, during which Prep’s juniors receive their school rings and medals, provides an opportunity for them to reflect on their time at Grand & Warren and to ready themselves for the challenges, the responsibilities, and the rewards of senior year.
“What an exciting and auspicious day for you young men to receive your medals, medallions, and rings,” the Rev. Lito Salazar, S.J. said in his opening remarks. “For today, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church are gathered in Rome for the conclave to select the 267th successor to Saint Peter. So, we will know in 24 or 48 hours who will be wearing the ring of the fisherman Peter.”
In his homily, he noted the human tendency toward sacrifice and how we are called to allow that impulse to help us feed our own spirits and the world at large.
“Today, you juniors will receive class rings and medals to mark your academic journey here at Prep, where you belong, where you are seen and known by name, and where you are expected to give a measure of self-sacrifice,” he said, addressing the Class of 2026. “Who you are, who you will become in the future, self-sacrificers under the shadow of Peter, is the measure of the success of our Jesuit and Catholic enterprise on Grand & Warren.”
Following the celebration of the Eucharist, Mr. Anthony Verdi, ’95, P’26 of the History Department offered a benediction for the Class of 2026, and the Rev. Robert O’Hare, S.J. blessed the rings and medals.
“Dear God, we ask you to bless these young men as they wear these rings or medals that are a symbol of the journey we continue here at Saint Peter’s Prep,” O’Hare said. “May all of us, like Saint Peter, be faithful to the daily call of Jesus, to be men and women of conscience, competence and compassion.”
After the presentation of the rings and medals, Prep President Dr. Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91 concluded the day with closing remarks.
“Thank you for walking the road with me over these last three years. Thanks for walking with me and sometimes stumbling and falling….Thanks so much for doing it together, together, together. This is the challenge of seeking God in all things….”
“Remember, you are called to act justly, love courageously, and lead vigorously and you go to the greatest school on the planet.”
We congratulate every member of the Junior Class and wish them much success as they prepare for their final year at Prep this fall.
