A brotherhood rooted in service and strengthened through leadership and unity, Servite’s 2023 graduating class holds a promising future for themselves and their school.
Led by the Catholic faith and the spiritual gifts of the Order of Friar Servants of Mary, Servite High School aims to form a brotherhood of intellectual, service-driven young men.
In recognition of their achievements, this year’s Servite Baccalaureate Mass to honor graduating seniors was celebrated on June 2 at Christ Cathedral.
This was the second year the Mass was celebrated inside the Cathedral – a decision that due to the Cathedral’s abundant space – has allowed for invites to be extended to all Servite families.
On this special evening, the Class of 2023 proceeded into the Cathedral last, with excited seniors high-fiving Fr. Sebastianus Mulu, who serves at Servite High School, as they were led to their seats.
Fr. Eugene Smith, OSM, was the main celebrant of the Mass. His homily centered on Jesus’ leadership in service and how His teachings have extended to the students over the course of their high school careers. Fr. Eugene also spoke about believing in and pursuing salvation by working together and using our unique gifts.
One student, Hudson Hammar, has especially proven this commitment to service through his priory leadership, where he was secretary-general and led his peers throughout the program and in campus activities.
Set to attend Boston College in the fall, Hammar said he has seen himself grow at Servite.
“Since my freshman year,” he recalled, “I have seen myself mature to understand the importance of servant leadership.”
Inspired by this understanding, Hammar, who lettered in volleyball, founded the service ministry, Her Servant’s Closet, which aims to collect and distribute used/outgrown uniforms to students in need.
Other students have also witnessed their own growth.
Amario McGuire, an honors student, Key Club member and athlete who will continue his education at UCLA, credited the school with bolstering his faith.
“I have been able to really stay with my faith because of the Servite community,” he said.
In following with school tradition, at the conclusion of Mass, the students sang the ancient Latin hymn, “Salve Regina” to demonstrate their commitment and devotion to the Blessed Mother.
Traditions have long been of the utmost priority for the school.
The credo at Servite is, “We are not just part of the story of our class, but part of the larger 60 years story of our school, the 780-year story of our order and 2,022-year story of our Church.”
The Servite High School community also recognized the hard work of parent volunteers who served at the school over the course their sons’ time there. Stephen Walswick (Servite Class of 2002) who is the school principal and interim president, presented Volunteer Service Awards to the following parent leaders: Mrs. Vanessa Buchanan, Mrs. Julie Foy and Mr. and Mrs. Jeff and Susan Hamar.
“We thank our parents for strengthening our Servite community,” said Walswick.