Hundreds of students and teachers from 24 Bronx schools joined Cardinal Timothy Dolan to celebrate their eighth-grade graduation Mass at the Church of St. Helen on May 26, 2025.

“Congratulations to our wonderful Catholic school graduates in the Bronx! Let me say it again: Praise God! Praise to the Lord for the gift that we are. This is a delight for me to be here,” Cardinal Dolan told the students.

Participating schools included Christ the King, Holy Cross, Holy Rosary, Immaculate Conception, Mt. St. Michael Academy, Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Our Lady of Refuge, Sacred Heart, St. Anselm, St. Athanasius, St. Benedict, St. Catharine Academy, St. Clare of Assisi/St. Francis Xavier, St. Frances de Chantal, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Helena, St. John Chrysostom, St. Lucy, St. Margaret of Cortona/St. Gabriel, St. Philip Neri, St. Raymond, St. Theresa, and Villa Maria Academy.

Cardinal Dolan thanked the students, teachers, staff, and administrators of Catholic schools in the Bronx, along with Sister Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, Ph.D., superintendent of schools, who attended the Mass.

“We did this for you. We love you. We’re so proud of you. We congratulate you. We need you. And it’s my desire to keep our Catholic schools as strong as they are. But when I look at you, I always say next to God, it’s all worth it. They’re all worth it, because I see it in these eighth-grade graduates,” Cardinal Dolan said.

On the day before Ascension Thursday, Cardinal Dolan referred to the preaching of St. Paul, who went to Athens, which had a temple to “the unknown god.” “You know, dear graduates, that’s what our Catholic schools are here for ― to make the unknown God known. And you now know God. You know about God. You know about His Son Jesus. You know about the Holy Spirit. You know about His Church. So God is not unknown to you. That’s one of the great sadnesses in the world ― many people don’t know God. But you all do. You all do, thanks to your Catholic education. So God is not unknown to you. He sent Jesus, who is the fullness of truth, and you learned all about Him.”

At the end of Mass, Ray Vitiello, regional superintendent for the Bronx, addressed the students.

“Work hard, be yourself, and always reach for the stars. We ― your parents, your principals, your teachers ― all have faith and have prayed that all of your wishes will one day come true. Make me, make your parents, make your families, but most of all, make yourselves proud of who you will become one day,” he told them.

“We are especially proud of our graduates. They leave our schools not only equipped with strong academic foundations but also spiritually rooted, shaped by the Gospel, and ready to serve as compassionate leaders in the world. Their achievements reflect God’s grace and the community that has nurtured them,” Sister Mary Grace Walsh told The Good Newsroom in a statement.

“As they step into high school and beyond, we pray they continue to grow in wisdom, courage, and love. May they always remain close to Christ’s heart,” she said.