Mother Mary Lange School Graduation Mass
Baltimore, Maryland
May 30, 2025
Looking Back
On your graduation day, I’m sure you have many memories of your time here at Mother Mary Lange School. What did you think when you first walked into this beautiful school –saw the library, the gym, the cafeteria, the maker-space and the science lab? What did you think when you went into your classroom for the first time? What was it like meeting new classmates, new teachers, and the expectations of your new school? New experiences can be exciting, but they can also be challenging.
Today we honor you because you met the challenge. You responded to the opportunities offered to you at Mother Lange. In fact, I hope you came to see this school as a great blessing in your life. For what you have learned and experienced here at Mother Lange will help you for the rest of your life, in your future education, in the work you will do, and in following the path, the plan that God has for your life.
That is why we read from Isaiah the prophet this afternoon, where he says: “I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord . . . because of all that the Lord has done for us . . . according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” So as we celebrate your achievements here at Mother Lange School, the first thing we say is: “To God be glory!” “Thanks be to God!” All the good things that you’ve experienced here are his gift to you. And the Eucharist, the Mass, is the perfect way to express our thanks to God.
The Goal of a Catholic Education
Your achievements are great – in math, reading, science, social studies, & more. You developed your talents in music, singing, and sports. And you are well-prepared for high school. But there’s more to it than that.
A Catholic education is not only about learning and skills, it has everything to do with what kind of a person you will be. Will you be a person who loves or hates? A person striving for virtue or a person who does what is evil? A person who builds or a person who destroys? Your education at Mother Lange is all about helping you become the person that God meant you to be – a person who loves others, who serves the needs of others, a person who tries to do the right thing for the right reason in every situation, a person who builds up your church and builds up world around us. On your graduation day, we are praying that you will always strive to be that person you were taught to be here at Mother Mary Lange.
That is why we read these words in St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, and patience . . . Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly . . . Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” That’s the kind of person you want to be . . . not at some future date, but now!
Planting Seeds
Your education is not finished. In a way, you’ve only just begun. Your parents, your church, your school have planted seeds of goodness, truth, virtue, and love in your hearts. That is why we read from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed . . . it is the smallest of seeds but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree . . . .”
But the seeds planted in you will not grow without your cooperation. Next year you’ll find yourselves in a new school. You’ll have new classmates. New courses. New teachers. New expectations. A lot of things will begin to change in your life as you grow to be adults. As you experience new opportunities and new challenges, be sure to nurture the seeds of truth, goodness, love, and virtue planted in you during your years here at Mother Lange School. The way to fulfillment is by letting the seeds planted in you come to maturity so that you will grow to be a sturdy, reliable, productive, and holy person. The great adventure in life, the most important thing in life, is falling in love with God and following the path he has in mind for you. In fact, the great adventure in life, the most important thing in life, is falling in love with God and following the path he has in mind for you.
You Do Not Walk Alone
Finally, know that you do not walk alone in life. Your family, your pastors, your teachers, your good friends walk with you. But above all the Lord walks with you – you may not see him with your eyes but he is with you and are all of God’s holy ones, among them Mother Lange herself, a woman who did what God wanted her to do, no matter how great the challenges. Congratulations! May God bless you always and keep you in his love.