Excerpts from Father Frascadore’s homily and his Reflections for the South Catholic Community

 

 

5.22.10 South Catholic Reunion:

 

This reunion is a rocket

Whistling to the heavens

To Explode open

 Umbrella like releasing

A hundred thousand colorful memories

Of the people, places, and events

Which  made our days

At South wonderful

 

Memories of jammed packed corridors

On mission night;

 

Of forty eight hundred screaming

Fans squeezing into the gym

Of Central Connecticut

To  persuade the Rebels

To beat the Eagles

Who the night before

Had lodged a coffin

On the mantel above our

 South Street door in a vain attempt

To dispirit us.

 

Little did they know

That their morbid deed

Would inspire a lively poem

Intense enough to inflame

An unquenchable desire for

A victory which was

Not to be  denied.

 

 And memories come

Of the Volkswagen bug

Rolled through unhinged doors

Up the hallway and left to park

Before a befuddled principal’s office;

 

Of musicals and plays performed

Masterfully before standing room only

Crowds in the auditorium;

 

Of freezing thanksgiving football games

And the raucous rallies which preceded them

With classes competing to out shout

 one another

with triumph usually going

to the seniors.

 

And of the many rules

About long hair, rolled up skirts,

And loose ties.

 

And of

Ring days, class dances, proms,

Favorite teachers and the memorable things they said,

 heroes who changed our lives,

 graduation rehearsals, SAT’s,

detentions, being called by name,

being known, being asked to dream,

enduring  friendships, new loves

and loves lost.

 

Then most of all

The indescribable, inexpressible,

ineffables spirit of South

Which encourages us to this

Day to live our lives out loud.

 

PART TWO

 

These are just few few

Of the many memories of south

In this room.

Multiple these few by 456 graduates

And you begin to get some idea

What a powerful influence

South has been on our lives.

 

 We are the sum of all that

Has gone before us:

 

But memories are not meant to

Fasten us to the past; they

Are to free us

TO LIVE EVERY MOMENT OF OUR FUTURE

LIVES OUT LOUD.

 

Indeed that is the inherited spirit of South.

 

For we don’t live our lives out loud

No one  will ever learn

The great mystery of

 our unique creation.

 

No one ever before like us;

No one ever will be:

Our gifts of seeing

Hearing, speaking, imagination

Feeling.

 

Each of us sees the world, hears it in a special way

The purpose of our lives is to contribute the gift

Of who we are:

 

 1.

The story of the student seeking happiness:

“Stretch out your hand and reach what you can.”

“Stretch our your hand and reach what you cannot”

              

2.

“You shall above all things be glad and young

For if you are young

Whatever life you wear it will become you

And if you are glad whatever’s living

Will become you.”

               

3.

Whatever journey you take

 Carry a satchel full of joy;

A joy that you have discovere

Not one defined for you.

               

4.

Fill your footprints with goodness;

And your eyes with hope.

 

5. 

Attentive ears

Watchful eyes

Lips that never lie

 

6.

A riff:

I’d rather learn from one bird how to sing

Than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance                       

 

7.

Edison “one one millionth of what we think we know

Choose to keep learning

To love life; be passionate about it, to be enthusiastic about it

To be positive rather than negative

To be curious, to keep looking

To define what joy means to you

To listen to what people have to say

To decide to leave goodness in each of your footsteps

To stay healthy,

To be serene, not anxious

To resist laziness, sloth, giving up

Why life

Why here

What do I have to give

Don’t let anyone stop you from being who you were meant to be

Live with reverence

Live with awe

Begin your day with kindness

Be generous and not stingy