Prayers and good wishes: God bless the Class of 2015

Photos by Patti Murphy Dohn
It seems as though every year goes by faster and faster…
My first year of retirement from Campus Ministry has gone by in the blink of an eye.
Now that the John Carroll Class of 2015, as well as all their senior high school peers across this nation, have finished their studies and are ready to graduate, it is fitting that I share a prayer for them and for all the graduates of the Class of 2015.



Praying for God’s grace and blessings on the Class of 2015:
High School Graduation Prayer: 
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come to you with thankful hearts for all those near and dear to us who are graduating from high school.   
We thank you for giving each graduate the talents, abilities and self discipline required for this wonderful accomplishment.  
We are grateful to You for providing the teachers, mentors, coaches and youth counselors who have taught them, nurtured them and challenged them along the way. 
Now that their minds have been well equipped with the basic knowledge of many different subjects, we pray that their hearts and spirits will also be well equipped for successful living.  
Add heavenly wisdom and discernment to their knowledge.  
Infuse their ambitions and dreams with Your love.  
Help them to desire Your good way for their future.  
Remind them that you are only a prayer away when they meet obstacles, heartbreaks and challenges.  
May they always be courageous enough to ask for help, advice and support when they need it.  
May they never needlessly suffer alone without reaching out to You and to others who care. 
As they become independent adults, help them learn the secret of dependence on You.  
Give them a desire to know more about You.  
May they find you in the Scriptures, in the joy of new love, in the gathering of Your people, in the beauty of Your creation and in the strength of their youth. 
And now may Your blessings be theirs as they begin a new life full of joy and promise.  
Amen.
When I was Campus Minister, I invited the members of the junior class during their ring ceremony to place their new high school rings on their fingers with the open end of the embossed design facing toward them. This signified that the student still had more than a year left to learn and take to heart all the traditions of the JC school community and to be ready to represent that legacy as graduates at the end of the following year.
So today, on the graduation day for the Class of 2015, I invite the newest alumni, after receiving their diplomas, to take off their JC ring, turn it around, and place it back on their fingers with the embossed opening facing outward. 
This commissions the Class of 2015 to go forward and share with all those they meet along their life-journey the lessons they learned from their John Carroll experience. 
Lessons such as: 

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