Let’s face it, the year so far has not been too kind to many of us. Still, we persevere through it all and this is something to celebrate.
On 10 October, De La Salle Holy Cross College High School celebrated their matric class of 2020 when they held a Mass and a valediction at St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church .
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the special event had fewer attendees and followed strict health measures to ensure the safety of everyone there. However, surrounded by their parents, teachers and nestling in presence of God, the school’s Class of 2020, though socially distant, felt no shortage of admiration, pride and love for the resilience they displayed this year from those gathered to honour them.
Church priest, Fr. Tony Daniels, lead the service and in his sermon made sure to encourage the matrics to continue on and not lose faith in themselves. “You might fall, but you should always get back up again,” he said.
During the Mass, Daniels explained there would be a candle lit throughout the church’s various services in honour of the matric class and, before the service ended, each learner got up and put a small pearl in the cylinder that holds the candle to serve as a representation of each of them.
Headmaster of the school, Atholl Murray, said the learners missed out on a lot this year, be it on the sports field, the stage and elsewhere – they sacrificed a lot. “This year we had to reflect on what is important and try to understand each of our roles within the bigger world.”
Murray added that besides the setbacks, the learners have been phenomenal, especially taking into account that they lost out on a final year they had looked forward to for so long. “Life does not always go as we had planned but it is how we respond to these moments and move past them that builds character.”
He also made sure to mention his absolute pride over this class and noted how they were great group of young people who will be great value to society where ever they go.
