More than 800 people gathered at Saint John School in Ashtabula on May 11 for the K-12 Catholic School’s annual Grandparents’ Day Mass, celebrated by Bishop David J. Bonnar. The Mass was held in the school’s packed gymnasium, with some attendees peeking through the open double doors to catch a glimpse of the proceedings.
The Mass, which also served as the school’s May Crowning in honor of Mother Mary, began with a procession of the school’s second graders, who recently received their first communion (and was belligerently adorable). The ceremony was all the more powerful for the fact that the students’ whole families—many of whom were also graduates of Saint John’s—were there to honor them; this was a celebration not only of the students, or the grandparents, but of the continuity and stability of the family unit itself.
“It was beautiful,” said Fran, one of the grandparents in attendance. “I feel it’s an honor to have the Bishop here. When we were in Catholic School we’d only see the Bishop on very special occasions.”
Fran was the first in her family to attend Saint John School, before the elementary and high schools merged together. Her sons followed in her footsteps as well, and now her granddaughter is a student.
“I can’t believe that she’s here,” Fran said, shaking her head. “I’m proud that she’s here.”
Keith Corlew, an administrator for Saint John School, said that grandparents are involved in every facet of the school’s day-to-day operations.
“We have more grandparents than ever before in our building,” he said. “Grandparents that are volunteering, grandparents that are working in the cafeteria, grandparents that are raising kids … it takes a village and our grandparents are everywhere. It’s nice to have a day where we just celebrate the grandparents because they kind of fly under the radar a lot.”
Corlew also said that it’s “a sign we’re doing something right” to have multiple generations of Saint John students under the same roof.
“Family is inevitable,” Mr Corlew said. “It’s the way it’s supposed to go.”
Bishop Bonnar’s homily paid special attention to the special role that grandparents play in spiritual and family life.
“I think this day is special because it takes us back to our roots,” Bishop Bonnar said. “Just like a plant or a flower has roots and those roots are so instrumental to its growth, so it is with the roots in our lives—be it Jesus, our faith, and our grandparents.”
The Bishop expounded on the theme of rootedness, and during his homily shared a story from his childhood where a plant he’d been growing at school had seemed to wither and die over the weekend. Upon returning to school on Monday, the future bishop was so heartbroken, he threw the poor plant in the garbage, along with his dreams of ever being a gardener. Luckily for his radishes, however, his teacher had observed the incident, and instructed him to not give up on growing them.
Bishop Bonnar recalled his teacher saying, “It just needs some water … you have to remember, there’s roots there. Even though you can’t see it, there’s still the possibility of life.” Lo and behold, Bishop Bonnar’s radishes sprang back to life—and in just the same way, our grandparents shower us with the love and encouragement we need to grow.
Humorous though it may be, Bishop Bonnar learned an important lesson from this experience that serves to illuminate a path forward for all of us in the faith. As long as the roots are alive—faith, family and tradition—there is always hope for another blooming.
“We live in a world today that is so obsessed with what is new,” Bishop Bonnar said in a brief interview after the Mass. “It’s tempting for us to forget what is old and what is wise. Celebrations like today keep us honest and make sure we never forget our roots and where we come from.”
