PALM BEACH GARDENS | In the spirit of graduation season, 41 adults celebrated their completion of three years of courses in the School of Christian Formation with a bilingual Mass May 15, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola. At the end of the liturgy, Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito distributed special certificates to the graduates proclaiming them as “Agents of Evangelization.”
In his homily, Father Duván Bermúdez, director of the school and diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, encouraged the graduates and their family members to be authentic disciples of Jesus through vigilance, unity, joy and truth. He said practicing those virtues will help them nurture and challenge Catholics with a deeper understanding of their faith, explore Catholicism with people of diverse backgrounds, spread happiness to family and friends, and draw closer to the church in light of Vatican Council II.
“Do not be afraid to be a good disciple and be brave to continue proclaiming Jesus’ message because today we need in our families, in our communities, in our parishes, in our church, in our Diocese of Palm Beach good disciples like you,” Father Bermúdez said.
Expressing gratitude to the instructors who lead School of Christian Formation classes throughout the diocese, he said, “Thank you, my beloved teachers, for your time, for your talent, for giving everything for us. Thank you so much.”
Following the Mass, graduate Ana Laura Cruz of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Delray Beach told the Florida Catholic about the knowledge she gained from the classes. Her favorite course, on spirituality, taught her “about the faith, how it’s important to pray, to connect with God and know who he is,” she said.
What Cruz learned has given her the desire and confidence to serve in a parish ministry to families. “I went to a retreat, just to help for the weekend. And then after the retreat, they said, ‘Would you like to join?’ I said, yes, absolutely, with my husband,” Jose Segura, she said.
Another grad, Patricia Boylan of St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton, said the courses “opened my mind and heart to an amazement of who God is, and throughout salvation history we can see his love for his people and his saving grace for us.”
Her favorite subjects were the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and Christology, Boylan said. “All the courses were deep and wonderful Catholic theology,” she said. “I feel very blessed to have accomplished these studies for which I owe all of my gratitude to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
With words of thanks for the school’s teachers, Boylan said, “It’s been a joy for me to have had this opportunity that is there for our Catholic brothers and sisters. It just requires the steps to move towards Jesus through knowledge, and he will meet us where we are and take us through an amazing journey that never ceases once you know what you know.”
To learn about the School of Christian Formation classes in English or Spanish, visit www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/ministries/hispanic-ministry/school-of-christian-formation/ or www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/ministries/hispanic-ministry/escuela-de-formacin-cristiana-2023-24.html.
