June 12, 2004: Graduation

Although it looks posed, this actually wasn't.

Below is a 2.6 MB slide show of graduation (QuickTime). It takes awhile to load. Below that is senior Zachary Spencer's speech.

Zachary's "Address to Caritas"

Jesus told a parable in which he likened the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. Like the mustard seed, Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven starts small, but soon grows to be the greatest of garden plants. The birds of the air even come to perch in its branches.

That’s actually a pretty good picture of Caritas. We started out tiny, but we have grown. We are now attracting more and more visitors to our branches, as enthusiasm for the school spreads throughout the area.

However, our school’s name is pronounced “carrot toss,” so I would like to give you a parable of another garden plant: the tossed carrot.

It is simply this: Our school is like a carrot, which was tossed into the soil, took root and grew. It soon provided food for man and beast alike.

At this point, if Jesus had told the parable of the tossed carrot, his disciples would have come to him saying, "Master, explain to us the parable of the tossed carrot." So, I’ll explain it.

In order for a tossed carrot to take root, it cannot simply be dropped carelessly, nor can it be tossed onto hardened soil. It must be aimed precisely and tossed with great force – thrown, really – into soil which is fertile and receptive. The people who tossed the particular carrot we call Caritas are the parents, donors and friends who have made this school possible by the great force of their commitment. The soil is the fertile ground of caring families that have surrounded the school all along. I know I speak for all of the graduates when I say “Thank you” to those who have made this school possible.

Unlike many plants, a carrot has one central root which anchors it, gives it strength, and provides nourishment. That root is like the Christian faith, which is at the heart of our school. We graduates will always be thankful for the strength of faith which Caritas has promoted in our lives.

But the central root is not all there is to a carrot. It also has many smaller roots, which extend outward to gather moisture and nutrients from the soil. (By the time a carrot is served to you for lunch, these roots have been stripped off, but I promise they were there when the carrot was in the ground.) Anyway, the smaller roots are like the spirit of curiosity which we try to promote at Caritas. We try to explore many ideas and philosophies, in order to draw more nourishment into our center. As we graduates go out to explore the world, let’s hope that we never lose our sense of curiosity and eagerness to learn.

The leaves of a tossed carrot are like the knowledge we have gained at Caritas. The leaves act like feathers on an arrow. They keep it from tumbling aimlessly. They keep it pointing toward the goal. Likewise, as each of us graduates aims for whatever we define as success, what we have learned at Caritas will keep us stable and focused.

Finally, the carrot in the parable feeds man and beast. I’m not sure if we students are the men or the beasts, but my point is that Caritas does not exist just to feed ourselves. Caritas’ mission is to “speak the truth in love” to everyone. As we graduates fan out over the United States, we hope we can give some benefit to others, and establish new gardens in our turn.

Finally, I would like to say a few words to the students who will still be in this garden next year. May you grow deep and strong. May you have no rotten spots. And may Dr. Bleecker never have to use pesticide on you.

Thank you very much.

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