A new generation of students carried on a 54-year-old tradition at Catholic High School in Little Rock Sept. 17.
Dating back to 1960, the senior ring Mass is a rite of passage for the young men of CHS.
“To me, the ring Mass is like an initiation process,” said senior Matthew Strack. “You work hard for three years and finally, along with your brothers, you truly become a part of something bigger than yourself.”
Strack represents the third generation of his family to receive a CHS senior ring. He is one of seven Strack men who have attended Catholic High, including his grandfather, father, uncle, brothers and cousins.
“As a father, there are few times in your life that you are able to share an identical moment with your son,” said Matthew's father, Paul, a member of the Class of 1981. “For us, the ring Mass is that moment. My sons have all shared the same experience that I had when I was senior at Catholic.”
Each year the rings are placed on a table, each one identical to the other, as one by one the students make the procession to receive their ring. This Mass is seen by many students and alumni as an induction into a special kind of fraternity, often referred to by faculty, graduates and students alike as the Catholic High brotherhood.
“These rings represent the responsibility of each of our men to be a good steward of the gifts God has given him,” Msgr. Lawrence Frederick, school rector, said.
