Cougar Courier: Baccalaureate Liturgy Edition
May 14th, 2021
BACCALAUREATE LITURGY FOR THE CLASS OF 2021
Austin Prep celebrated a special Baccalaureate Liturgy for the Class of 2021 today, Friday, May 14th from Father Seymour Field. The special program allowed for the community, including faculty, staff, and parents of the graduates, to come together for Mass, culminating in the delivering of diplomas to members of the Class of 2021. A full program for the Baccalaureate Mass can be found here.
Celebrant Most Rev. Robert P. Reed, DD, acknowledged the challenging times in which the senior class are entering the ranks as Austin Prep alumni. "We must make certain that the Austin Prep experience continues to open hearts and minds to repair society and this world in the name of Jesus Christ, who is always a light in the darkness, and our only hope."
Emma Ricciardelli '21, Class of 2021 Salutatorian, addressed the class, focusing on the student connections and faculty support that helped guide her on her Austin Prep Journey. “We have been taught to share many of the same values,” Emma said. "Take the values that Austin Prep has given to you and bring them to your college campuses next fall. We will all be shaped by the people, friends, and professors that we are surrounded by, but remember that we all have the ability to shape those same people who are around us."
Class of 2021 Valedictorian, Faith Moran '21, noted that while each graduating senior followed their own path toward the end of their Austin Prep experience, the Class shared one commonality: navigating the global pandemic. “Despite the many disappointments Covid has brought, the pandemic exemplified our mission for unity here at Austin. As a community, we looked out for one another and made it our mission to make the most of our senior year,” Faith said. “The diplomas we will receive represent way more than simply meeting graduation requirements. They represent finding our way to the light despite all of the setbacks. They’re a reminder that we completed high school amidst a global pandemic. They are signs that we can achieve anything we set our minds to. There will always be hard times and goals we hope to achieve. Don’t forget how our Journey at Austin has prepared us for tackling these obstacles that lie ahead. "
Austin Prep’s Head of School, James Hickey, Ph.D. P’22, ’23, ’24, '27 made reference to the book The Road to Character by New York Times Columnist David Brooks. "Brooks argues there are two types of virtues, what he calls the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues," Dr. Hickey said. "Resume virtues are skills and achievements, such as high test scores, and workplace promotions that often lead to bigger bank accounts and public praise or recognition. On the other side are eulogy virtues, the qualities of character...your humility, integrity, kindness, compassion, the love you have in your heart."
"Despite the adoration of resume virtues, we all know deep down inside at the core of our being, that eulogy virtues are what really matter," Dr. Hickey said. "As graduates of Austin Prep, formed in the Augustinian tradition, set on a pathway in the footsteps of Augustine, you are already living lives that place eulogy values first."
The event began with a welcome from Board of Trustees Chair, Daniel Bouchard, P’10, ’14, ’15, who congratulated the Class and reflected on the "unwritten curriculum" that has benefitted his own children as they carved a path for their own lives after they departed Austin Prep. Bouchard also noted that the Class of 2021 has been collectively awarded more than $17 million in scholarships to some of the top colleges and universities in the United States.
Emma ended her Salutatorian speech in unison with her classmates, as they recited a familiar phrase from their Austin Prep journey, perhaps for the last time together: "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until it rests in You."
Baccalaureate Liturgy Livestream
The Baccalaureate Mass was live streamed for those who could not attend, and we are grateful to all those who were able to attend remotely. The ceremony can be viewed in its entirety by clicking the button below. Please forward this to family and friends!
Baccalaureate Liturgy Livestream
Baccalaureate Mass Photos
Photos from the Baccalaureate Mass can be viewed by clicking here. Check back soon as more photos will be added!
Class of 2021 Banner Lowered in Meelia Hall
During Thursday's rehearsal for today's Baccalaureate Liturgy for the Class of 2021, Senior Class officers continued with the tradition of lowering the Class banner in Meelia Hall. The banner is raised during Convocation to start each academic year.
SENIOR AND ACADEMIC AWARDS
Faith Moran ’21
VALEDICTORIAN
THE CARDINAL MEDEIROS MEDAL FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE
Emma Rose Ricciardelli ’21
SALUTATORIAN
THE MEDAL FOR THEOLOGY
Thomas J. Brosnan, Jr. ’21
THE CHARLES & HELEN MCLAUGHLIN MEDAL FOR LEADERSHIP & DETERMINATION TO EXCEL
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD
Ariana Maria Clark ’21
REV. DR. JOSEPH W. WILKES, III ‘71 MEDAL FOR UNWAIVERING COMMITMENT TO AUSTIN PREP
Theodore Leslie Thornton Dysart, Jr. ’21
WILLIAM J. HICKEY, JR. MEMORIAL AWARD FOR GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP
Amanda Kay Patti ’21
WILLIAM J. HICKEY, JR. MEMORIAL AWARD FOR GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP
Mary Margaret Hueston ’21
CHARLES L. LUCIANO MEMORIAL AWARD FOR UNSUNG STUDENT LOYALTY
THE MEDAL FOR ART & DESIGN
Brianna Linda Fountain ’21
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD
THE MEDAL FOR SPANISH
Emma Christie Kilbride ’21
THE MEDAL FOR ENGLISH
Stanley F. Alger, IV ’21
THE MEDAL FOR HISTORY
Arya Gupta ’21
THE MEDAL FOR SOCIAL STUDIES
Edward Wei ’21
THE MEDAL FOR MATHEMATICS
Kate Elizabeth Simpson ’21
THE MEDAL FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
Katelin Griffin Stone ’21
THE MEDAL FOR PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Michael Connor Kamelle ’21
THE MEDAL FOR LATIN
Liam James Prigmore ’21
THE MEDAL FOR FRENCH
Kayla Carolynn Russell ‘21
THE MEDAL FOR MANDARIN
Ryan James Noyes ’21
THE MEDAL FOR ECONOMICS
Alyssa O. Cross ’21
THE MEDAL FOR ART & DESIGN
Conor Owen Long ’21
THE MEDAL FOR ART & DESIGN
THE CLASS OF 2021