Over a million
children per grade level throughout the nation would have been with us had they
not been killed by abortion. Over a million members of each graduating class
this year have been legally destroyed. Priests for Life asks, therefore, that
each school yearbook and graduation ceremony and liturgy include a remembrance
of those who would have been graduating had they not been aborted. This
could in some way, make reparation for scandals at various Catholic universities across the Country.
Such remembrance
can take the form of a moment of silence, a lit candle, an empty chair, a cap
and diploma resting by themselves, or a brief prayer. Symbolic actions can be
accompanied by words like these:
"On this day of joy, we give thanks to God for our accomplishments. At
the same time, we cannot ignore those whose lives have been lost, and who
otherwise would have been with us to share the joys of this day.
With charity toward all and condemnation toward none, we, the Class of ----,
wish to honor and remember those who have lost their lives because they were
aborted. (We pause now for a moment of silence. Or We now light this candle
in their memory. Or We set aside these empty chairs in their memory.)
As we move into a new chapter of our lives, we commit ourselves to building
a Culture of Life, in which parents never have to feel that the only way to
solve their problems is to abort their child, and in which the precious
dignity of every human life, especially the most defenseless, is cherished
and protected. We invite you all to join us in striving for this goal."
A sample entry in a school yearbook could say the following:
"In prayerful remembrance of our fellow students who have been lost
from abortion…We do not condemn those who felt they had to do this; rather,
we weep with them now…and we pray for the day when the most frail and
vulnerable lives will enjoy the same protections the rest of us do."
Suppose that a tragedy took the lives of some of the graduating class just
days or weeks before graduation. Would there not be a mention or a tribute at
the ceremony? Why, then, should the victims who died longer ago be forgotten? It
is not, after all, the timing of the death that matters, but the value of the
life.
It's graduation time again. I'll be praying for all graduates at all different
grade levels. It is my fervent hope that students everywhere will take the
initiative to remember aborted classmates.
Some, of course, will object to inserting such a "negative" theme into a happy
day.
Yes, life is tough, isn't it?…It's all mixed up with happiness and sadness, joy
and tragedy. Are significant moments in our lives supposed to be insulated from
all awareness of injustice? Are we to rejoice with those who rejoice, but not
weep with those who weep?
To be willing to face sadness when the victims were born, but unwilling to do so
when the victims died before birth, is another sign of the deep-rooted prejudice
against the unborn in our society. But a new generation of young people who have
survived that prejudice are now taking their places and preparing to be the
future leaders. That gives us hope. Isn't that what Graduation Day is all about?
Please, do something. How can we explain it if we forget or ignore these
children?
Fr. Frank Pavone
Related Links:
Graduation Day
Class of
2001
Video: Pro-Life Commencement
Graduation Day – A Time to Honor the Missing