Chesterton Academy Celebrates the Graduating Class of 2024
On Saturday, May 25, 2024, Chesterton Academy of Sacramento held a baccalaureate Mass and commencement ceremony to celebrate the school’s second graduating class.
Held at St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Alvaro Perez, PES and Fr. Adam Tokashiki, PES and assisted by Deacon Kevin Staszkow and Deacon Jack Roland. During Mass, eight graduating seniors received a priestly blessing, a beautiful moment of grace for the students who have attended (and often assisted) at Mass each day since the school opened on August 15, 2022 and are now being sent out, strengthened in faith, renewed in mission, and ready to begin their adult lives.
After Mass, family and friends walked a short distance to the Marian Grotto for the commencement ceremony and reception. Graced with beautiful weather, guests gathered under canopies on the lawn to hear the commencement speeches.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Arthur de Lorimier, Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology at UC Davis Medical Center and School, encouraged the graduates to go out into the world, boldly speaking the truth:
You have just completed at Chesterton Academy a discipline in classical Catholic liberal education, an education giving you the skills to be great leaders in our country and particularly in our Church. But you are about to go out as sheep among wolves in this world, a world that will try in a variety of ways to dissuade you from this reality. In the midst of this very crazy materialistic world that pushes a paradigm of cultural relativism, you may find yourself asking, “How can I speak truth to power in this environment?” If you are ever in that state, I want to remind you of something: You were born for this now! Our Lord is speaking to each of you when we read in scripture, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you!” God placed you here… now… for this great adventure.
Headmaster Joseph Moore tearfully embraced each graduate as he handed them their diplomas, later sharing, “These new graduates represent what we at the Chesterton Academy stand for: fine upstanding young men and women who have embraced the call to be Saints and Scholars. Our prayers and good wishes follow them as they pursue the next steps in their lives.”
Valedictorian Ignatius Birdsall began by reflecting on his time at Chesterton and the joy he found in the academics, sports, and extracurriculars. He went on to emphasize the value of the friendships he had made.
Even greater than these invaluable experiences are the incredible friendships that have been formed along the way. Chesterton really is one big family. For the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors coming back next year, don’t squander this experience. A Chesterton education is a journey that nourishes the entire being. Embrace it wholeheartedly. Find great friends, stick with them and stand up for them. Take the words of St. John Chrysostom to heart: “It were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends.” But most of all, love your God and trust that everything will be alright. For, as Fr. Adam once said, “God is your biggest cheerleader.”
Salutatorian Xavier Tan followed, sharing his personal testimony about how Chesterton had impacted him over the past two years. Having transferred to Chesterton a bit reluctantly as a junior, Xavier now says it is a “privilege” to be part of the second graduating class and that his faith has grown stronger. In addition to emphasizing the blessings of a stronger faith and the gift of new friendships, he also noted the accomplishments of the Class of 2024:
If the Class of 2024 is many things, it is accomplished, to say the least. First of all, who takes 11 classes in their senior year? At Chesterton, we did it. It takes great skill to learn something you are reluctant to do, but this school has pushed me to do just that. Never would I have thought I would be memorizing Latin conjugations, acting in not one but two school plays, learning any dance from line to swing, or singing Gregorian chant. At Chesterton, we also have incredible participation in our sports programs for such a small school and they are only growing from here. For example, this year we got starting blocks and hurdles for the track team. Additionally, I can say I played high school basketball for a year, which I assure you would have never happened in any other school.
The Class of 2024 certainly has accomplished much in their time at Chesterton, and we proudly congratulate them and their parents on their graduation!