CHARLOTTE — Graduates of the Class of 2024 – 434 in total – at all four Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Charlotte are attending baccalaureate Masses to give thanks to God before their graduation ceremonies this month.
At St. Mark Church in Huntersville, Christ the King High School’s Class of 2024 gathered for a baccalaureate Mass May 22, marking the end of an incredible journey rooted in faith, community and the Eucharist.
In his homily, Father Aaron Huber reminded the graduates, “If the Lord wills, He empowers you to do. He affords you opportunities of greatness. He has given you gifts to help you better interpret the times to come. The impact of your experiences here at Christ the King will last an eternity. Be bold, Crusaders. Be bearers of light in a world of darkness. Go do mighty things in the name of Christ the King.”
The entire community joined in celebrating the seniors. Crusader students served as altar servers and lectors, CTK alum Connor White served, alum Miguel Villalobos sang, and the Mass was presided over by current chaplain Father Huber and former chaplain Father John Putnam.
At St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, Charlotte Catholic High School graduates gathered to pray together prior to walking across Bojangles’ Coliseum stage in Charlotte.
Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville held its baccalaureate Mass at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville on May 23.
Canongate Catholic High School in Arden will hold its baccalaureate Mass and graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 8, at St. Barnabas Church in Arden.
— Catholic News Herald. Photos provided
CHARLOTTE — Former students of St. Ann School in Charlotte took a special trip down memory lane on Friday morning as they returned to their Elementary school campus for a day full of events.
Nine eighth graders from Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School and 14 seniors from Charlotte Catholic High School visited the school as part of a special event for alumni who graduated as fifth graders in 2017 and 2021.The group also included a few students who graduated from St. Ann but went on to attend other area schools. They attended a Graduates Mass at 8 a.m. in the church which also honored this year’s fifth grade class, and then got to spend time walking the halls of their former elementary school.
“Being here brought back all my childhood memories,” said Charlotte Catholic senior Julia Franze, who will be attending Wingate University in the fall. “I realized how much I really missed all my teachers from St. Ann.”
The alumni were greeted by cascading cheers and applause as the school’s current 359 students stood along the halls to offer high fives and fist bumps as they passed by. The high school seniors smiled as they had to stoop to accept the greetings from the Pre-K students.
Celene Little, principal of St. Ann, wiped away tears as she watched the former students walk into classrooms they once sat in years before.
“It’s so special to see these kids back here,” she said. “I saw many of these students when they were in kindergarten and now they are going to college and doing great things. It’s also fun to see the kids back together as a group like they were when they went here. St. Ann is like a family and it’s wonderful when they can all get back together and walk the halls again.”
The Holy Trinity eighth graders spent time with fifth graders, answering questions about what it will be like to move to middle school next year. They fielded inquiries about how big classes are at middle school, what the atmosphere is like and what it’s like to change classrooms for different subjects.
After the Q&A sessions, Holy Trinity eighth grader Dillon Schnur said he’d enjoyed the chance to visit his old school.
“It’s been good to be back here and see some of the changes that have taken place since I was here,” he said.
The Charlotte Catholic students, meanwhile, read books aloud for students in Pre-K through third grade.
Senior Anna Polking said she first started dreaming of attending Notre Dame University while she was in the fourth grade at St. Ann. In the fall, her dream will come true as she begins her freshman year there.
“It was really nice and nostalgic for me to get to spend time at St. Ann today and see all of my old teachers,” she said. “Going to school here was really a special experience.”
The day also offered a chance for parents of some of the Holy Trinity students to look back on memories as they stood in the hall while their kids visited in the classrooms.
“This school is such a special place,” said Gil McKnight, whose daughter Lily McKnight attended St. Ann. “I feel like we all have formed bonds of faith, family and friendship by having kids who went here.”
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy Hull
