St. Viator Parish School was teeming with joy today, as its 8th graders led a beautiful May Crowning liturgy and received a special blessing for their class mural.
Fr. Dan and Fr. Bill celebrated Mass for the school community.
The day began with the whole school together in church. Together, they prayed a decade of the rosary, and 8th graders entered in procession in their blue graduation gowns, with a group of young ladies assembling to crown Mary. The soon-to-be-graduates were the lectors, gift-bearers, and cantors for this special Mass, celebrated by Fr. Dan Belanger, CSV, parochial vicar for St. Viator Catholic Community.
“Thank you for gathering in this place and coming together to celebrate the whole reason Mary said yes. Here at Mass we will hold the small infant Jesus, the man who went off into the desert, the man who said yes to accepting his cross,” Fr. Dan preached. “This all helps us remember the angel who came to Mary with great joy, and our God who sustains us and helps us seize each day with love.”
This year’s class mural includes a header special tile for the 2025 Jubilee Year above the collage of students’ tiles.
Fr. Dan celebrated the witness of service in the school community, from the 8th graders nearing graduation to the middle school students stepping into greater responsibility to the many faculty members and administrators working behind the scenes to prepare and support these young people – as well as his brother, Fr. Bill Haesaert, CSV, who Fr. Dan invited to concelebrate. “Thank you for saying yes today, and may the Virgin Mother walk with you always.”
After Mass, Fr. Bill accompanied the 8th graders to the school courtyard for the tile blessing. Each year, 8th graders decorate a tile with symbolism and phrases that are especially meaningful to them, and the tiles are installed together as a class mural. With an 8th grader as his acolyte, Fr. Bill blessed the Class of 2025 mural and the students with holy water. “You are building on a great foundation of this school. We have so many alumni who have built bridges from Pre-K to 8th grade to schools all over,” Fr. Bill said. “And we’re always delighted to welcome you back.”
Fr. Bill addresses the students and families as they gather for the tile blessing.
Associate Janet Manfredi sprinkles holy water into Mother’s Day potted marigolds as her first-grade students pray over their handmade gifts with her.
Dr. Katie Kiss, principal, and Associate Paul Mertzman, vice principal, were sharing in the blessing when they received the holy water container and aspergillum from Fr. Bill, which gave them one more idea – they took the last bit of holy water over to the 1st grade hallway. There, with Associate Janet Manfredi, a first-grade teacher, they gathered the first-graders to pray over their art project – hand-decorated marigold flower pots for their mothers – and sprinkle holy water from the tile blessings into each mother’s pot.
As we celebrate Mary in this month of May, we pray that Our Lady of Grace will hear our prayers and pray for us.