And that’s a wrap!
After 4 years of hard work and dedication, Chrysostom Academy just finished our first ever Commencement Ceremony, inducting our two new graduates into House Sapientia under the protection of Saints Cyril and Methodius. As we celebrate their graduation, I wanted to reflect on what this ceremony actually means and place it in its proper context.
Today, we tend to think of commencements as endings. We celebrate our academic achievements with a commencement where we ceremonially end a part of our life and move on to the next part. However, if we actually look at what we are doing, it is the exact opposite. To “commence” is to begin something. Commencements are beginnings, not endings. A commencement ceremony celebrates where we have been while inviting us to begin something new, something bigger. For our graduates, this commencement ceremony is the beginning of their journey into the wider world.
This is the reason we chose Saints. Cyril and Methodius to be the patrons of House Sapientia. Their journey to bring Christianity to the Slavic people had to begin somewhere, just like our graduates’ journey into the world begins right now. As they leave Chrysostom Academy behind, they are starting a new journey in life, and because we know them, we know they will go and dogreat things.
John W. Heitzenrater, II A.B., M.H.M.
Headmaster
jheitzenrater@chrysostomacademy.org
610-427-2758