Bishop tells graduates to witness faith

A letter to graduates

Dear graduates,

On the occasion of your high school graduation, may the abundant graces of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and the intercession of our Blessed Mother fill you with abiding love for all good things! I offer my own prayers and congratulations to you, and add my thanks to your parents and family who helped to make this day possible.

From your baptism, you received your most basic and most important vocation: to witness to Christ in the world. In your education thus far, you have learned much about this vocation, how to live a holy life, and how to be part of the great communion of Christ in the Church. Today, on the Feast of Holy Trinity, your graduation from a Catholic High School is especially connected to the mystery of the triune God. As you look to the coming years, I pray that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will always be with you, and that your love for Jesus Christ will be the bedrock of all your decisions, especially in discerning with gratitude and humility, what more God calls you to be.

In the years to come, in the joys and the sorrows of life, I hope follow the voice of God's Word, Jesus, who told His disciples often "Do not be afraid." In the love of Jesus Christ you will find the freedom from fear that makes it possible to love goodness and renounce the glamour of evil and grow in holiness.

Please remember to pray for me and the whole Church. I will continue to pray for you, your family, and your classmates. Commending you to the tender heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe and to Saint Joseph, patrons of our Diocese, I am

Your brother in Christ,

†Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
  Bishop of Sioux City

PS - I hope that you will continue to stay connected to the Diocese. One easy way is to visit our web site, www.scdiocese.org. You might also have our weekly newspaper, The Catholic Globe, sent to you at college.

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