This speech was written and delivered by Christopher Duffy, the Salutatorian speaker of the Class of 2010.

It is now time for us 8 graduates to move on, to take the many gifts that Immaculate Heart of Mary School has given us and apply them to our journey in life. At least for me, it will be a sad parting, knowing that I will not have the same spiritual opportunities in college as I had here at IHM, but the parting will also be an appreciative one because now it is time to advance to the next level, and IHM has given me the necessary tools to help me in my journey of life. But the most important gift that we all have received from IHM is the outstanding Catholic education that the Brothers and Sisters have firmly rooted in minds to keep with us forever. This Catholic education didn’t just pertain to theology; every subject we took was given from a Catholic perspective, which made this education the best education we could ever desire.

Now what, you may ask, elevates the Catholic curriculum above the secular curriculum? Well, there are three outstanding points of discussion that should be considered when answering this question; namely, the Church’s right to educate, the necessity of a Catholic education, and the structure of a Catholic education. Let us first look at the Church’s right to educate. The Catholic Church, as a perfect society, that is, having in itself the means required for its own end, which is the salvation of all mankind, has received the right and duty to educate the human race from God, for two reasons. First of all, the right to teach was given to Her by Christ, with the words from Matthew 28:19 “All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth. Going therefore teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Thus Christ gave the Church the right to teach, for the Church is responsible for the souls of all mankind. Secondly, the Church’s right to educate comes from the natural law, because the Church as our Mother, has the responsibility of guiding Her children to the goal for which they were created, that is, to serve and love God in this life and to be happy with Him in the next. Holy Mother the Church is responsible for the salvation of our supernatural souls, and must therefore carefully safeguard their education.

Catholic education is also necessary, given this authority by natural law. As we learn in the catechism, we are made to serve God in this life, and glorify Him in the next. We are made in His image and likeness, being naturally destined for Him and drawn to His infinite perfection. Thus we will always be searching for what is perfect, since nothing in this life will meet our hopes and expectations. We are incapable of attaining the ultimate because of our limited created nature and the effects of Original Sin. That is why a strong Catholic education is necessary: to help us find that infinite perfection and attain the end for which we were made. In addition, a Catholic education will help us become better citizens, having values and morals, so that when we enter society, our spiritual life will foster and promote our natural life, with all its duties and obligations to God and man.

Now, what should a Catholic curriculum contain? What distinguishes Catholic education from secular education? I think that the primary and dominant distinction is the aim or goal of the curriculum: in the Catholic curriculum, Christ, and our eternal salvation, are the focal point of learning. Everything we learn and study at a Catholic school such as IHM is centered around Christ, and is therefore true and the finest education we can receive. If we look at all our subjects, we find that both the liberal arts and the sciences focus on God. All the liberal arts courses in a Catholic education reflect Christ, the Alpha and the Omega. The history courses we take show the series of events leading up to the Incarnation, and the events resulting from the Incarnation once Christ had come and established His Church. Our Latin courses help us better understand the language of the Catholic Church, especially in the Mass. And the literature courses reveal to us the contributions of Catholic authors and poets to the secular world, showing that a Catholic education not only helps us spiritually, but also naturally as well. In the math courses, we learn the basic principles of arithmetic and geometry to help us understand the measurements of God’s creation around us. Then in the science courses, we don’t avoid the controversial subjects such as evolution and the Big Bang theory; by simply applying Catholic principles and common sense, we can easily refute these ideas. Also in science we learn about the complexity and mastery of God’s creation, thus giving us a deep appreciation for the world around us. But the pinnacle of the Catholic curriculum is the theology courses that we take, showing us the nature of God, the Father’s wonderful works of creation, the Son’s merciful work of Redemption, the Holy Ghost’s generous works of sanctification, and the efficacious care and guidance given to us by Christ’s Bride, the Church. And here at IHM, we received all the liberal arts, sciences, and theology necessary to venture into the world ahead.

If we were to ever question the value or reliability of a Catholic education, all we need to do in order to dispel our doubts is look back into history at what the Catholic Church has done for education. In the Middle Ages, the cathedrals throughout Europe had schools connected to them where the nearby peasants were taught. In America, the first school was set up by the Franciscans in 1606 in St. Augustine, Florida. And throughout the world throughout history, the religious orders have provided colleges for all people ever since the beginning of Christianity. Also the Church has given many intellectuals to the secular world. They inlcude Leonardo da Vinci, an inventor, sculptor, and artist; Enrico Fermi, the producer of the first nuclear chain reaction; Antoine Lavoisier, a French chemist; Michelangelo, the most famous artist of the Italian Renaissance; Louis Pasteur, a great explorer in the fields of biology and chemistry; Nicholaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer who discovered the motion of the earth; Erwin Schrodinger, an Austrian theoretical physicist and mathematician; Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian monk who discovered the principles of heredity; Sir Alexander Fleming, the founder of Penicilin; Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press; and Roger Bacon, an English philosopher who created the scientific method. All these men were Catholic, and with their Catholic education, they not only served their God, they also served their country.

Here at IHM, we also receive the fundamental education to not only glorify God, but also to help our society. We receive the fulfillment of Christ’s command to teach all nations, and here we receive the traditional teachings of the Catholic Faith, which is all we graduates need to attain our final goal, Heaven.

And so we can never underestimate the value of a Catholic education. It is given to us by our Holy Mother the Church, who is always solicitous for our final end. It is a necessary component of our formation, for it prepares us not only for our eternal goal, but also for the secular world ahead by giving us a sense of values to always treasure. And lastly, it is includes a Catholic element which unifies all learning to Christ, which makes this education easier to comprehend and more valuable than secular education.

So we are truly thankful to the Brothers and Sisters for giving us such a solid Catholic foundation, and we will do our best to make sure their efforts are not wasted. Thank you and God bless the school, God bless all the graduates, and God bless all of you.