Dear Cardinal Mooney Family:
This week marks a time of celebrations in the life of the Mooney Family. We find ourselves experiencing a strange mixture of happiness and sadness because of our current reality. We are happy for the accomplishments of all students, especially the seniors.
With the Class of 2020, we celebrate the end of their journey as a student at Mooney and the beginning of their new, lifelong connection as an alum. We are happy that the rituals of Awards Day, Baccalaureate Mass, and the Graduation Ceremony will occur this week because they mark that important transition point for our seniors. Yet their virtual methods of delivery required by the consequences of COVID-19 cause changes, and that is hard.
As a result of those consequences, our celebration is tinged with sadness. Some traditional events could not occur and those rituals we will share are virtual, denying us the opportunity to be in the same place to share the experience with our whole group. That kind of a sense of community is a vital element of what makes the Mooney family so strong, and it will outlive this virus. Because we are a vibrant community of faith, it is out of our love and concern for each other that we comply with the directives given us so that we can protect everyone’s health and safety. When we can again gather safely, we will invite the Class of 2020 to be together as a very special group in the history of our school. Their strength and fortitude in this time of crisis will provide a model for all in how to live a life guided by sanctity, scholarship, and discipline.
We will provide for all a virtual Baccalaureate Mass, Awards Day, and Graduation Ceremony. Here are the details about each event as we have them today. We will update you as we receive final links for viewing.
Baccalaureate Mass
St. Columba Cathedral
May 21, 11:30 am
We received permission to live stream the Mass from the cathedral as originally planned, but the time and celebrant had to change. Due to his health, Bishop Murry will not be able to celebrate the liturgy, and we appreciate that Msgr. Connell will. We will continue to keep Bishop Murry in our prayers.
How to view online
Go to the diocesan website (doy.org), choose Media in the tabs on the top right, and then choose Cathedral Live Stream in the drop down menu.
The Mass will be rebroadcast later in the day. It will also be rebroadcast on CTNY.
Awards Ceremony
CMHS
May 21, 4:00 pm
In their end-of-the-year packets, all students will receive their subject and other award certificates along with a copy of the program that lists all awards earned. The program for this year’s virtual ceremony will include special awards for all classes along with senior awards and scholarships. As previously announced, we will distribute packets from 9-noon on the following days: May 29 for seniors, June 1 for juniors, June 2 for sophomores, and June 3 for freshmen. More details about how to schedule an appointment for your student will be announced in the May 24/25 bulletin.
How to view online
We will be filming the ceremony this week at school and will share the link for where to access it online as soon as it is finalized. Watch for a notice in your email, on FaceBook and Instagram, on our website, and a OneCall message.
Graduation Ceremony
Stambaugh Auditorium
May 24, 1:00 pm
On May 17-18, the staff at Stambaugh Auditorium will film the components of our graduation ceremony, including the seniors walking across the stage. After all the filming is complete, that staff will edit the film into the final version. When they have completed that process, they will give us the link to publish to you for access. We appreciate their work on this important ceremony, creating a way for us to blend a live experience for seniors and a virtual opportunity for family and friends to participate.
How to view online
Once we receive the link from the Stambaugh staff, we will share that with the Mooney family. Watch for a notice in your email, on FaceBook, on our website, and a OneCall message.
Sincerely,
Thomas Maj
President
Mary Anne Beiting, Ed.D.
Principal
Click here to download our full May 17th, 2020 bulletin (PDF Format)