by William Reynolds

Last week, the Brave community came together during Cinco de Mayo to celebrate the life of our Blessed Mother Mary during Marian Day and the many gifts that she has given our school.

Originally, Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May, is a day of Mexican pride and heritage. Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, which is mistakenly considered to be Mexico’s equivalent to their Independence Day. 

This year Cinco de Mayo at St. John Bosco started with attending mass as a school community to celebrate a Marian Day Mass and the life of our Blessed Mary, Help of Christians. 

During the Mass Fr. Ted talked about how “Mary, Help of Christians guides us throughout our lives and that we should be grateful to her teachings and trust her to give the wisdom that we desperately need in our lives.”

Another celebration that the Bosco community was a part of during Mass was during the homily when the Archdiocese of Los Angeles congratulated two seniors, Christian Angel (far left) and Ricardo Rodriguez (second from the right) as well as two faculty members, Mrs. Elizabeth Hunt (far right) and Ms. Edna Ramirez (second from the left) for their service and dedication to our school and the community with one of their most prestigious awards, The Christian Service Award. 

The mission and message of Mary, Help of Christians has influenced people all over the world, but it has dramatically affected our fellow students and faculty, like Ricardo, who has been part of the campus ministry team for all four years of his high school career.

“Taking the time out of my day to celebrate Mary and her impact at this moment serves as an opportunity to gather together and remember. Remember who we are, remember that we are not alone and remember the mission we are made for,” Ricardo said.

To end the 2022-2023 school year, the Brave community came together following Mass with our Faith Families and participated in Olympiad Day, where the Braves played many games including basketball, tug-o-war, ultimate frisbee, soccer, volleyball, football, Super Smash Brothers, Pool and Ping Pong as well as board games.