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At Mass with archbishop, students reflect on responsibility
By John Gleason
Fifth-grade students representing half of the Catholic schools in the Denver Archdiocese participated in a Fifth Grade Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on March 18. Because of the large number of students, the Mass was one of two scheduled for fifth-graders. The other took place on March 14.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., was the celebrant for the annual liturgy. Students from St. John the Baptist School in Longmont comprised the choir. Altar servers were students from St. Mary School in Littleton. Students from Holy Family High School in Broomfield served as ushers.
The idea to celebrate an annual Mass with fifth-graders was started by Cardinal J. Francis Stafford when he was archbishop of Denver. That grade level was selected because the students are mature enough to engage in conversation.
In reflecting on the day’s Scripture reading from Ezekiel, Archbishop Chaput asked the students what it means to accept responsibility and to not be so quick to blame others when things go wrong.
“It means you have to say sometimes, ‘It’s my fault,’” he said, “which is hard. It’s easy to blame others, especially brothers and sisters.”
Several students were called on to discuss the point with the archbishop, including one young man from Blessed Sacrament School who gave his name as “Charlie.”
“What a great name you have,” Archbishop Chaput said, causing the children to erupt in laughter.
Charlie admitted that sometimes he blames his sister for things that happen. He also has two brothers, but said he doesn’t blame them as frequently. Before Charlie returned to his classmates, the archbishop asked him if he would one day like to become a bishop.
“I’ll consider it,” Charlie replied, drawing a laugh of his own from the students.
After the Mass, Charlie, whose last name is Franks, told the Denver Catholic Register that he was initially a little nervous about getting up in front of the congregation to talk with the archbishop, but the anxiety passed. He said owning up to one’s faults isn’t something that comes readily to most kids.
“It’s real easy to blame others because parents don’t always see everything,” he said. “That’s when you have to decide if you’re going to do what God wants or not. That isn’t always an easy thing to do.”
Abigail Klenk, 11, from St. John the Evangelist in Loveland told the Register that the hour-long drive for her first Mass at the Cathedral Basilica was worth it. She agreed that accepting responsibility is challenging, but right.
“Blaming someone else not only is wrong, it never works,” she said. “I blame things on my brother and I don’t think my mom always believes me.”
Klenk said she couldn’t wait to go home and tell her sister, who is in the fourth grade, what she can look forward to next year.
“I think she’ll like Mass with the archbishop,” she said. “By then, she’ll be responsible too.”
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