By Father Guillermo Garcia-Tunon, SJ - Belen Jesuit Preparatory School
Editor’s note: “Be not afraid” — these words are repeated in the Bible countless times. But as we live through an unprecedented moment in history, with nearly all of humanity paralyzed, fearful, sick or dying from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s good to be reminded: We are people of faith, not fear. This occasional series will gather the experiences, musings, suggestions and advice of local Catholics on how to survive these trying times with faith, not fear.
This one, though written for the students at Belen Jesuit Prep in Miami, seems relevant for all the members of the class of 2020 in archdiocesan high schools. It is part of an ongoing series of messages, headlined “To My Boys,” and written by Belen’s president, Jesuit Father Guillermo García-Tuñón. The messages date back to the end of in-person classes March 16, 2020. This one was posted March 27, 2020.
Today’s email goes directly to my seniors, the class of 2020. I’ve been thinking a lot about you guys these days. I am sure that while the temporary closing of the school and the pause of all activities have taken a toll on everyone, it’s you guys that have been affected most. We were on the verge of celebrating events like senior prom, the baccalaureate Mass, senior-parent-faculty banquet, and, of course, the commencement exercises.
These are the events that help to accent the senior year experience and you have been looking forward to them for some time. It may seem that all is lost but fear not, I am confident that we will have them at one point. I assure you that we will do everything and anything to make them happen, even if they have to be rushed into a one-week period. I am committed to that.
While thinking about your particular situation, my thoughts also turned to another moment in the history of our awesome school. The class of 1961! You may not know this, but this is the class that had their senior year brutally interrupted by the Cuban revolution. In May of 1961, when the Castro regime took over the school, classes were canceled, Jesuits were not allowed to leave the campus, and students were not allowed to return. The class of 1961 was unable to have their commencement exercises because Belen was, supposedly, no longer allowed to exist.
Historically, the class of 1961 was referred to as “the class that never graduated.” But, as God’s grace would have it, they did. Years later, in Miami, Father Felipe Arroyo, S.J., and Father Juan Manuel Dorta Duque, S.J., (’40) gathered them together from all over the world and had a graduation ceremony at Belen. They got their diplomas. It was later than everyone would have wanted, but they got it.
Today, this class is just as strong and active as any alumni group out there. As a matter of fact, they may be stronger because the circumstances set them apart and drew them closer together. There was no tyrannical government that was able to extinguish the spirit of Belen. Their class flag hangs proudly in the school’s library along with all the other ones. The class of 2020 has that spirit. It’s been emblazoned in your hearts after so many years of Jesuit education.
This whole virus thing will come to an end sooner or later and, when it does, we will pick up the pieces and allow the spirit of the great class of 2020 to surge mightier than before. You guys have done an exceptional job of leading the school. You have set an extraordinary tone throughout the year for your younger Belen brothers to follow. I know that we will see you off to college in grand style.
