Herald of Hope Column

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	Bishop Richard J. Sklba
	Herald of Hope Herald of Hope is a weekly column started by former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland in the Catholic Herald and written by the bishops of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. • Herald of Hope online archive

The songs of autumn inevitably measure the harvests of the fields, and often with a mixture of gratitude and sorrow over the passing of the summer. They can also measure the harvests of our lives.

Earlier this month I joined former high school classmates from St. Catherine in Racine for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of our graduation. The weekend of gatherings with the Class of '52 were really enjoyable and fascinating, even though I had a momentary hesitation when the suggestion was first floated.

I had only been with the group for the first two years before transferring to Saint Francis Minor Seminary; so my experience of traveling toward maturity with the class was limited to the freshman and sophomore segments of that journey. We were terribly young.

As we met, it became clear that some had maintained close bonds of friendship, regularly celebrated and renewed over the decades, while others were squinting to recognize once familiar faces not encountered for ages. Funny memories were quickly reclaimed, while more painful recollections only surfaced more carefully, as if still delicate and in need of gentleness and respect.

Most of the jubilarians are now busy grandparenting, and many have retired with all the jokes and quips associated with that way of life. Spouses who had graduated from other schools lingered along the edges of every conversation, curious to see these names and faces about whom they had heard so many stories over the years. Many still live in Racine, but others had been scattered by the winds of opportunity or employment to far corners of the country. They came back with wallet-sized photos, job titles, and academic degrees to visit family and to join former classmates in harvesting the dreams of an earlier era.

Counting the names and pictures, we were sobered by the realization that 42 had already died. Even my own close proximity to my geographical roots in Racine had not kept up with the obituaries over the recent years. Some of the names on the list surprised me greatly.

The world has changed radically since the spring day in 1952 when our graduation from high school was proclaimed and mortar caps jubilantly tossed into the air (if that was in fact the practice at the time, but I confess my memory is a bit cloudy on that precise point). We entered the world of young adulthood as riders of the crest of our national victory in World War II. The nation was surging into new prosperity and even the world of our former enemies was being rebuilt. From today's vantage point, it was a world of remarkable innocence. Television was a very expensive (and boring, unless one really loved wrestling) rarity.

We joined a nation that vowed never to go to war again.

Since then our country has watched as the best of our young people marched off to a war in Korea, then in Vietnam. We couldn't imagine that it would happen, but it did ... and now possibly to Iraq as well, in spite of the Holy Father's plea for a political solution without danger to innocent civilian families. This would be a great tragedy.

Those who came to the reunion seemed fairly connected to the church, even though life had been unfair, or at least tough at times. I often tell confirmation candidates that life never turns out the way we think it will or should, and my class was a perfect example of that reality.

What did I learn as I moved from circle to circle of acquaintances?

• That as we move through life, we are who we are, only more so.

• That God's grace can always surprise us.

• That love brings together some of the oddest combinations.

• That everyone can complain about something, and those who don't bother are the most loved.

• That everyone did something foolish somewhere along the way.

• That most of the outstanding high school athletes never let it get in the way of life.

• That I wasn't as shy as I used to think I was.

• That many of the girls are still stunningly beautiful.

• That some of the teachers made a great deal of difference over the years.

• That canasta was really a waste of time.

• That working on the school paper was invaluable training, especially the job of selling the advertising!

• That I'm still very fond of some of those classmates.

• That homecoming games are still fun.

• That long standing friendships are irreplaceable.

• That life is a great gift and a wonderful blessing ... to be cherished and preserved for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.

• That the Catholic faith makes a difference.

I'm really grateful that Ruth and Ray took the time and invested so much energy in looking up the class members. I now have another harvest of autumn memories for any future winter storms.