Today, on the feast of St. John Bosco, patron saint of schoolchildren, the Bishop Ahr High School community gathered to celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a liturgy. During the spirited mass, all of our students and faculty showed their love for each other and for God. We also remembered the over 11,000 alumni whom we proudly call a part of the Bishop Ahr Family.
During the entrance procession, senior students brought forth the Christ Candle and other candles, which symbolize Christ’s light that guides our faith.
In the Gospel acclamation, the congregation heard the story of Jesus healing a sick woman and raising a child from the dead. His words to the sick woman were, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” Fr. Keith Cervine, in his homily, spoke of the Bishop Ahr community’s faith that guides and will continue to guide each member throughout their own journey of life. He also spoke to the importance of those around us that support us in small and big ways in our lives. He observed the level of dedication to students that he sees in the faculty members at BGA, a level of dedication that is absent in other schools he has attended or visited. Each of us inherits skills and traits from others, whether they be in our family, in our circle of friends, in our school, or in our community.
During the reading of the petitions, we honored the rich traditions of BGA and the many heritages of our students and alumni, students and faculty by offering the petitions in different languages from Spanish to Korean, German to French, and Italian to Tagalog.
As part of recognizing the significance and dedication of Bishop Ahr’s faculty and staff, the students and faculty paid tribute to several faculty and staff members who had milestone service anniversaries this year. Athletic Secretary Mrs. Linda Pagano, English Teacher Mr. Al Mohrmann, Math Teacher Mr. Mark Fiore, Math Teacher Mrs. Grace Alexander 10, and Custodian Javier Munoz all celebrate 10 years at Bishop Ahr High School. Science Teacher Mrs. Suzanne D’Addio celebrates 20 years, and Science Teacher Ms. Liz Savner celebrates 40 years at Bishop Ahr.
At the conclusion of the mass, the three students with the most service hours per grade were recognized. From the Class of 2020 were Amanda Markert (95 hours), Bethany Ciccarelli (97), and Jaleena Findley (99). From the Class of 2019 were Trisha Ponik (344 cumulative hours), Gina Santorella (352), and Gabriella Jakielaszek (384). From the Class of 2018 were Ethan Lim (675 cumulative hours), Jude Roche (686), and Joo Eun Lim (1029). And from the Class of 2017 were Krystyna Ebert (753 cumulative hours), Tara Genovese (894), and Gabriela Abreu (1184).
This year’s Catholic Schools Week Mass was a unique opportunity to call together the entire BGA community and it was a beautiful reminder of our unity on the walk of faith and life.
