Cardinal Wuerl Celebrates Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School Baccalaureate Mass
Friday, June 3, 2016
WASHINGTON – Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, celebrated the Baccalaureate Mass for Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday, June 1.
The cardinal began his homily by congratulating the graduating class, along with their families, friends, teachers and the administration of Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School. He encouraged the students to carry in their hearts the recognition of God’s presence in their lives. “At the very heart of Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, the very reason we have the school, the very purpose of every one who works so hard to sustain that school and make this educational journey with you is our belief in God, our faith in God,” said the cardinal.
Opened in 2007, Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Corporate Work Study Program is a unique partnership between the Archdiocese of Washington, the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Cristo Rey Network of Schools. The co-ed Catholic college-preparatory school draws students who, despite having limited financial resources, have the desire for a faith-based education and the motivation to help earn their own tuition money through the innovative Corporate Work Study program. Students come to Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School with the dream of going to college and the school has a 100 percent college acceptance rate. More than 80 percent of its students are the first members of their families to attend college.
The cardinal told the graduates that as they left Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, it was vital to remember their worth as a person and how crucial it was for them to share their talents with the world to make a difference. Cardinal Wuerl concluded his homily, “With your friends, your family, your school you also have a living abiding relationship with God. May God bless you and may you always be open to the power of the Spirit within you to make this world a better place.
The commencement ceremony for Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School was held on Thursday, June 2 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The graduating class of 2016, comprised of 71 students, has acceptances to over 56 colleges and universities and more than $6.5 million have been awarded to the graduates in scholarship dollars. Many of Don Bosco Cristo Rey students, including seniors, helped to lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery, organize a shoe drive where students contributed more than 100 new pairs of shoes to less fortunate children in Nicaragua, and on several occasions prepared meal packages for the Cup of Joe program for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.
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The Archdiocese of Washington is home to over 620,000 Catholics, 139 parishes and 95 Catholic schools, located in Washington, DC, and five Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s.