The Class of 2016

Richard A. Sokerka

This week’s edition of The Beacon pays tribute to the Class of 2016 — made up of students graduating from both high schools and elementary schools in the Diocese of Paterson.

The collective message from the Class of 2016 bodes well for the future of our nation. These graduates will succeed because our Catholic schools in our Diocese have done and continue to do an outstanding job of building a sound educational foundation for students rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church. This year’s class is a shinning example that in our Diocese we have an educational system functioning as a team with one goal in mind — to prepare students academically, morally and socially to be tomorrow’s leaders with Christ as their role model.

At the groundbreaking for the new St. Pope John XXIII Middle School in Sparta on June 6, Joseph Mazich, a sixth-grader at Rev. Brown School in Sparta, spoke to the audience with gratitude about the importance of the Catholic education he is receiving. “There is nothing better than attending a school where I can practice and further strengthen my faith. All my teachers show that they believe in Jesus by acting like his disciples... They teach us to be kind-hearted and give back to the community. They guide us to make the right decisions like Jesus would… I am able to express myself and become a better person through Christ. We are always using the gifts that Jesus has granted us. My teachers remind us what Jesus would do in certain situations. My classmates and I have daily religion classes, so I am able constantly to examine Jesus’ actions and miraculous life.”

This prescient student’s words are the essence of the value that a Catholic education provides — one that is so desperately needed in today’s confused secular society. The Class of 2016 is blessed to go into this muddled world we now live in with the strength of their faith to guide them daily.