On October 12, the gymnasium was crowded with not only students, but their grandparents to celebrate the annual grandparents’ day Mass.

“It serves as a reminder of the reality that we’re all connected together,” Father Bernardo, theology teacher and the presider of the Mass, said. “Our grandparents remind us of that connection and that we come from somewhere, with that somewhere eventually tracing back to God.”

To prepare for their arrival, those students who park in the east lot were encouraged to park in other surrounding locations.

“The process of getting to school was more challenging, see, as I had to park about half a mile away from school,” junior Zane Moore said. “But I still made it to school on time, so it was fine.”

The procession followed the same structure as every other Mass, albeit with a much longer communion and a sermon particularly intended towards the grandparents. It followed Bernardo as a child, and his relationship with his grandmother, who was the lunch lady at his school.

“I thought the sermon was very interesting, and [Father] Bernardo is a great speaker,” said Moore.

The Mass has become an event that both students and grandparents look forward to, with some of them having driven in from outside of the city, and even the state.

“We loved it all, especially Father Bernardo’s sermon,” said Tani Stempson. “He spoke directly to why we’re always ‘there’ for our grandkids.”