On September 8th Blessed Trinity hosted our inaugural Grandparents Day, which was celebrated with over 400 grandparents and special friends. Not only were grandparents in love with this new tradition, but students were also excited to be able to go to Mass and eat breakfast with people they hold so close to their hearts. 

The day started with a wonderful Mass celebrated by Monsignor Paul Fogarty. The grandparents cherished the student-led mass and being able to see some of their grandchildren read, usher, and administer the Eucharist. Grandparents then made their way into the main gym, where Ms. Lancaster welcomed them and awarded prizes for the most grandchildren at Blessed Trinity, the grandparents who traveled the farthest to come, and more. While eating a delicious Chick-fil-a breakfast, students were given the chance to spend the morning with their grandparents and listen to a guest speaker who talked about a Christian book he had published. Ambassadors then gave the option of three tours the grandparents could take and guided them around the campus in small groups. 

Ms. Diaz and Ms. Clements, the main organizers of the event, have been working at Blessed Trinity in the Advancement Office for three years now. When asked about the planning of the event, Diaz commented saying “it was two years in the making…we started small because we were thinking 150 grandparents would come, then it grew. We had 400 grandparents and almost 200 students for a total of 600 people.” Diaz continued by saying that “we had grandparents representing 17 different states as far as Oregon, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, [and] New York.” When asked about how successful the day was and how the grandparents felt, Clements said “Seeing the pure joy on all of their faces, they were beaming with pride for their grandchildren and just happy to be appreciated.”

Madelyn Cowan, a senior and an ambassador at Blessed Trinity commented on the success of the morning by saying “Grandparents Day was a great opportunity for my grandparents to see my high school and for me to spend quality time with them.” She continued by saying “The Mass was lovely, and I could tell all the grandparents loved being able to see their grandchildren at school.” When asked about her favorite part of the morning, she said it was “being able to give them a tour around the campus she spends so much time on.”

Overall, Grandparents’ Day proved to be a large success with both the grandparents and the students. Seeing the joy on the grandparents’ faces was such a rewarding experience, and all of the students loved being able to give back to the people who have given them so much.