St. Patrick grads encouraged to ‘be the candle,’ not merely the mirror

St. Patrick Catholic High School’s 57 graduates were honored with two standing ovations and a celebratory Mass said by Bishop Louis Frederick Kihneman of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi at the school’s gymnasium Friday.

Kihneman challenged the graduates to be of service and to live the life they have been taught through Catholic school teachings.

Salutatorian Sarah Janus quoted author Edith Wharton: “There are two ways of spreading light: Be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.”

“It is imperative to remember that from our time at St. Patrick, we were not merely the mirrors that reflect light,” Janus said. “We were the candles that emitted light in everything we did, whether small or large.”

Valedictorian Julia Hancock encouraged graduates to aspire to be open to high expectations. “The future’s completely unwritten. We have the freedom to choose whatever future we want. So let’s make it amazing.”

The packed gymnasium stood and applauded the graduates after they received their diplomas and again after they collectively turned their tassels.

“I am sure you are equipped for success in the next chapter of your lives,” Principal Matt J. Buckley said. He also talked about the many binders full of facts and information they have had to guide their careers and the binders they will eventually read through at future intervals in their lives.

“These binders are not what you learned here at St. Patrick,” he said. He encouraged the graduates to live lives of service.

This story was originally published May 19, 2017 at 10:09 PM with the headline "St. Patrick grads encouraged to ‘be the candle,’ not merely the mirror."