The Pharr Oratory of St. Philip Neri School System Oratory Academy of St. Philip Neri (PK-8)

Oratory Athenæum for University Preparation (9-12) Instituto Newman del Oratorio (PK-6)

Governance Board President: Mrs. Oralia Cantú Secretary: Mrs. Sochil Durán

Non-Administrative Members Mr. Adan Farias

Mr. Larry Hernández Mrs. G. Yvonne Pérez Mr. Manuel N. Pérez Mr. Rubén Rosales

Administrative Members Rector: Rev. Mario Alberto Avilés, C.O.

Headmaster: Very Rev. Leo-Francis Daniels, C.O. Directress: Mrs. Izkra Díaz, Pharr Campus

Directress: Mrs. Judith Fonseca, Reynosa Campus Asst. Director: Rev. José Encarnación Losoya, C.O.

Mission The mission of The Pharr Oratory of St. Philip Neri School System

is to promote the formation of Christian character, catholic lay leadership, Christian fellowship, and community service by

integrating the gospel message with a liberal arts educational program in the spirit of joy of St. Philip Neri.

Vision

Every Oratory student believes the Gospel message and lives it by making a difference in the world as they journey to his or her

ultimate end, heaven.

Oratory Athenæum for

University Preparation

““You enlarged my heart” (Psalm 118:32)

Baccalaureate Mass celebrated

on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at Seven o’clock in the evening at

St. Jude Thaddeus Church Pharr, Texas 78577

A reading from the the first letter of St. Peter

Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason - so that you would have faith and hope in God.

You have been obedient to the truth and purified your souls until you can love like brothers, in sincerity; let your love for each other be real and from the heart - your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God. All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flower’s. The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains for ever. What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you. This is the word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 147:12-15, 19-20. R v 12 R. O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed the children within you. R. O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

He established peace on your borders, he feeds you with finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command. R. O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

Gospel Acclamation 1 Jn 2:5 Alleluia, alleluia! When anyone obeys what Christ has said, God’s love comes to perfection in him. Alleluia! "

Gospel A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

The disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him: ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans, who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.’

Celebrant: The Very Reverend Leo Francis Daniels, C.O.

Altar Servers: Alan Pansing

Xavier II Guerrero

Choir: Diocese of Brownsville Choir

Organist: Mr. Henry Treviño

First Reading: Ana Isabel Romero Responsorial Psalm 147: Diocesan Choir

Gospel: Mark 10: 32 - 45

Prayers of the Faithful: Teresa Faustina Vielma

Offertory Gifts: Mr. and Mrs. Guillermo Alejandro Romero

Almazo, Samantha Alvarez, Adriana Balderas Cantu, Luz Adriana Barrientos Gonzalez, Anaelissa Cantu, Carolina Casas Jr., Estevan Caso, Natalia Ximena Cavazos Jr., Jose Gerardo Cavazos Salinas, Fernando Davila, David Fernando Del Barrio, Andrew J. Elizondo, Maria Fernanda Elizondo III, Adalberto Garcia Covarrubias, Raul Garza, Alejandro Manuel Garza, Armando Garza, Karla Daniela

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him. ‘Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favor.’ He said to them, What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I must be baptized?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them. “The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptized you shall be baptized, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.’

When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer of the Faithful My brothers and sisters, we are gathered to celebrate the mystery of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Let us ask God our Father to open for all the world this foundation of life and blessing. " A. For all who have dedicated themselves to God, that he will help them to be faithful to their promise, we pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer. " B. For peace among nations, that God may rid the world of violence, and let us serve him in freedom we pray to the Lord. R. Lord, hear our prayer. "

C. For the aged who suffer from loneliness and infirmity, that we will sustain them by our love, we pray to the Lord. R. Lord, hear our prayer. "

D. For all of us gathered here, that God will teach us to use wisely the good things he has given us, that they will lead us closer to him and to the eternal blessings he promises, we pray to the Lord. R. Lord, hear our prayer. “

Father, hear the prayers of your people. Give us what you have inspired us to ask you for in faith. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Oratory Athenæum for University Preparation Class of 2016

Garza, Yolanda Natalhi Guajardo Morelos, Juan Antonio Lopez, Dibanhi Mariann Morales, Daniela Haydee Moreno, Jesus Maria Nuno Vega, Sara Ortiz Ornelas, Adriana Karen Rivera Munoz, Juan Carlos Romero Saldana, Lucas Alejandro Teran, Julian Varela Vargas, Mayra Alejandra Vielma, Ana Guadalupe Villarreal, Aldo Enrique Villarreal, Mariana Villarreal-Trevino, Alan Kaleb Vite, Lando

My dear graduates:

One of the greatest disservices that parents, teachers, and leaders–political and religious– give to their youth is the cavalier impression that life is supposed to be easy. With this conviction, young people–already narcissistically formed in ubiquitous entitlement–are dangerously ill-prepared for a healthy marital relationship, a successful childrearing, a loyal citizenship, a true friendship, or for any other adult obligation requiring hard work, patience, long suffering, competence and self-discipline.

Such habits have traditionally been called virtues, and “virtue ethics” used to be the morality that made a human being virtuous and decent. How did our Nation lose its sense of decency and its virtue ethics. Inattentively, we allowed the power of hell to take over. Progressive education and pragmatic materialism pushed God and morality out of the American scene, but not completely–for many valiant hearts have kept the godly and morally sound.

John Dewey’s dream and determinism brought about a drastic change in American education. God and his representative authorities were removed; the student became the center of the educational process. As a teacher, atheist, and progressive philosopher, Dewey was influential in setting in motion a government takeover of American education via government schools. Dewey did this first by discrediting and rejecting traditional religion and moral absolutes; many historians considered Dewey the epitome of liberalism of a “dangerously radical” kind. So, where are we now?

Virtue has ceased to be important in the lives of many Americans, for if life is suppose to be easy, there is no point in working hard to be self-disciplined and hardworking. If students are taught that they are good simply because they exist and if they are convinced that they by themselves and without God can attain a noble and good end, it follows logically that America’s youth will find no need for God, a virtuous life or hard work. And so they carefully set out to select the “right” friends and to accumulate the most important gratifying comforts; with these resources secure, they think that they must simply wait and happiness will come their way. It won’t.

Today, the underlying philosophy of the American school is positively aligned to pragmatic materialism and its self-centered thinking: if you study hard, get a degree, become competent in your specialization, you will get a good job, marry well, make useful friends, and earn a lot of money. They are convinced–because they are materialistically pragmatic–that from this chain of events in their lives, happiness will inevitably and inexorably flow–it won’t! Note that God and the spiritual life are, for all practical purposes, excluded from the equation.

Christ speaks to us: Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come (Mark 13:33). The power of evil is always ready to do us in. If we are not alert, we will not see evil for what it really is. The Pharisees who arranged for Jesus’ suffering and death were not evil people. Pride took possession of their thinking–they thought that they had all the answers. They were not humble; and so, like yeast permeating the dough and taking over the mass of flour, the devil used them to kill the very Messiah that they had, for centuries, longed for.

Christ speaks, again: "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword!” (Matthew 10:34). Christ expects us, with his Spirit, to identify evil, to become justly angered by it, to fight against the prince of lies, and valiantly to use, in the fight, His revealed truth and His Cross of love.

Christ speaks, once more: “Go therefore, and teach ye all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

My dear graduates, you know your job; you have been commissioned. Do you want to be happy? Then, you know what you have to do. Do it!

Sincerely in Christ Jesus and St. Philip Neri,

Father Leo, C.O.