Don Bosco Cristo Rey Graduates 98

Don Bosco Cristo Rey Graduates 98

For 8th Straight Year, Graduates Earn 100% College Acceptance

Don Bosco Cristo Rey sent 98 young men and women (more women than men) into the world as the graduation class of 2018.  The long, solemn, happy rite was celebrated at the National Shrine on Thursday afternoon, May 31.

Since the first class graduated in 2011, every class has boasted 100% college acceptance, and DBCR is quite proud of that.  Most of the students are the first in their families to go to college--altho by now some of them have older brothers or sisters who also are DBCR alumni.

From the pulpit of the National Shrine, DBCR principal Larry Savoy 

declares 98 members of the Class of 2018 high school graduates.

Besides the magnificent setting of the upper church, one of the great things about this venue is there are no limits on who can attend—plenty of room.  The young women made almost a clean sweep of honors:  valedictorian, salutatorian, 4 of 5 Don Bosco awards, and outstanding graduate.

Most of the Catholic high schools in the Washington Archdiocese and some from the Arlington Diocese hold their commencement exercises at the Shrine.

The May 31 issue of the archdiocesan newspapers, The Catholic Standard and El Pregonero, gave the high school graduations extensive coverage.  On DBCR:

http://cathstan.org/Content/News/Homepage-Rotating-Articles/Article/Don-Bosco-Cristo-Rey-seniors-celebrate-their-future-during-college-signing-day/2/409/8445

http://www.cathstan.org/Content/News/Schools/Article/From-childhood-puzzles-to-computer-science-Cristo-Rey-valedictorian-solves-problems/2/21/8479

http://www.cathstan.org/Content/News/Schools/Article/Cristo-Rey-student-says-his-Catholic-faith-motivates-him-to-be-a-servant-to-others-/2/21/8460

http://elpreg.org/Content/Noticias/Homepage-Rotating-Articles/Article/DBCR-estudiantes-cumplieron-el-sue-o-de-graduarse-con-honores/4/483/12931

The commencement speaker was Paola Bonilla, DBCR '14, recently graduated from Albright College in Reading, Pa.

Fr. Mike Conway, DBCR president, thanks and 

congratulates Miss Bonilla for a very fine address.

The previous evening Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, celebrated the baccalaureate Mass, in the Shrine's lower church.  The archdiocese co-sponsors DBCR with the SDBs, so His Eminence takes a good deal of interest in its success.  He quite seemed to enjoy the evening—just one part of a very busy day for him.

We considered ourselves blessed because a violent thunderstorm held off until after the ceremony and everyone's departure from the Shrine.

Your humble blogger had only his cell phone with which to shoot photos from his place amid the school's faculty and staff.  Maybe he'll be able to round up some of the "official" shots.