Commencement!

At 11.00am, yesterday morning, 133 soon-to-be graduates processed two-by-two down the red carpet as the familiar notes of Elgar were performed by a brass ensemble. Our school's largest graduating class in its 207 year history was addressed by Ms. Gretchen Kane, president of the Ursuline Academy in New Orleans.

Ms. Kane shared some of her experiences from the past year as the oldest girls' school in the country, ravaged by a hurricane, prepared to open its doors on 3 January 2006 -- just 4 months after the city of New Orleans was buried in water. Ursuline Academy, during the months of rebuilding and restoring, was committed to returning tuition dollars and continuing its payroll -- not because they could afford to, but because, in justice, they couldn't afford not to! In her speech, Ms. Kane referred to C.S. Lewis' characters in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She recalled how the raccoon family allowed their young to play in the mane of Aslan, the lion. When asked if it was safe to play in the lion's mane, the father replied, "It is not safe, but it is good." And so it is for those who choose Christ's way of love and gentleness in a world that does not value Christian virtues. It is not safe but it is good. In this vein, her parting words of wisdom to the class of 2006 were the very words she used in her own high school yearbook, "March to the beat of your own drum or don't march at all!"

Also in attendance at graduation was Ursuline Academy's recent graduate, Courtney Pratt, who spent the first semester of her senior year with us here at Georgetown Visitation. She received the signature "crescent pin," which our graduates receive with their diplomas, as well as a standing ovation from Visitation's class of 2006.

Beautiful weather. Beautiful young women. We and they have much for which to be grateful.