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Student Reflection: Junior Ring Mass
Luca Scarlato '28 provided the student reflection at all-school Mass on Friday, October 16, 2026.
Good morning. My name is Luca Scarlato from the Class of 2028. I would like to welcome everyone to today’s mass and Junior Ring Ceremony.
Today, we gather to formally recognize the Class of 2028 as upperclassmen with the presentation of class rings. Being an upperclassman is more than sitting on the far side of the gym during pep rallies, or standing closer to the field during football games. Being upperclassmen means taking our place as leaders in our school community, serving our classmates with wisdom and a guiding hand.
However, leadership does not need to be demonstrated through big, extravagant acts. Leadership is most impactful when given through our everyday lives. In today’s readings from Ephesians, we hear that God has a plan for each and every person according to his will. Each person is called to lead God’s plan. We live God’s plan throughout our life by becoming who we are meant to be. If we do this, we become a catalyst and a living witness of God’s love through our leadership.
One such saint who exemplified this during his life was Saint Carlo Acutis. St. Carlo is a recently canonized saint, who died at the age of fifteen years old during his sophomore year of high school. He lived a simple life being an ordinary teenager, doing ordinary things, which God took and made extraordinary to build his kingdom. His simplicity of life and closeness to Jesus encompassed his life goals. Carlo did not intend to convert anyone, yet the example of his life led many who were around him to devote their lives to Jesus.
Such was the case of Rajesh Mohur, the housekeeper and caretaker for the Acutis family. At a very young age, Carlo began explaining the Catholic faith to Rajesh. He talked about the Eucharist, the Bible, the Rosary, and the Trinitarian nature of God. Rajesh was touched by Carlo’s explanations of the faith, his sincerity, and most notably, his care for the poor. Rajesh and Carlo would often go walking in Milan together, and one day during the winter they noticed a poor man walking with no shoes. To comfort the poor man, Carlo selflessly removed his own shoes and gave them to the man. This simple, selfless act deeply moved Rajesh, and sparked something within his soul; leading to his baptism and conversion to the Catholic faith.
Saint Carlo’s life relates to us today as it demonstrates leadership by example. Carlo’s ordinary acts made him extraordinary. His leadership came from humble devotion to God. God took his small acts of love and used them for his will. A good leader understands this. A good leader understands that leading by example is woven into the fabric of everyday life; it is woven into their interactions with the people.
As a Fenwick community, let us strive to live humble leadership. Let us rise up as leaders in our school, in our communities, in our families, and in our faith; to be the spark in someone’s life, to live out our faith in service and compassion, and to follow God’s plan.
To my fellow juniors, let these rings that we receive today not only remind us of our status as upper classmen, but of the life that we are committed to lead as upper classmen at Fenwick. When we put forth the best of ourselves in the love of God, we in turn will naturally better those around us. As we look ahead to the rest of the school year, I challenge all of Fenwick to be the spark that sets people ablaze with God’s love, and to ask the question everyday, How can I make humble leadership my everyday life.
Today, we gather to formally recognize the Class of 2028 as upperclassmen with the presentation of class rings. Being an upperclassman is more than sitting on the far side of the gym during pep rallies, or standing closer to the field during football games. Being upperclassmen means taking our place as leaders in our school community, serving our classmates with wisdom and a guiding hand.
However, leadership does not need to be demonstrated through big, extravagant acts. Leadership is most impactful when given through our everyday lives. In today’s readings from Ephesians, we hear that God has a plan for each and every person according to his will. Each person is called to lead God’s plan. We live God’s plan throughout our life by becoming who we are meant to be. If we do this, we become a catalyst and a living witness of God’s love through our leadership.
One such saint who exemplified this during his life was Saint Carlo Acutis. St. Carlo is a recently canonized saint, who died at the age of fifteen years old during his sophomore year of high school. He lived a simple life being an ordinary teenager, doing ordinary things, which God took and made extraordinary to build his kingdom. His simplicity of life and closeness to Jesus encompassed his life goals. Carlo did not intend to convert anyone, yet the example of his life led many who were around him to devote their lives to Jesus.
Such was the case of Rajesh Mohur, the housekeeper and caretaker for the Acutis family. At a very young age, Carlo began explaining the Catholic faith to Rajesh. He talked about the Eucharist, the Bible, the Rosary, and the Trinitarian nature of God. Rajesh was touched by Carlo’s explanations of the faith, his sincerity, and most notably, his care for the poor. Rajesh and Carlo would often go walking in Milan together, and one day during the winter they noticed a poor man walking with no shoes. To comfort the poor man, Carlo selflessly removed his own shoes and gave them to the man. This simple, selfless act deeply moved Rajesh, and sparked something within his soul; leading to his baptism and conversion to the Catholic faith.
Saint Carlo’s life relates to us today as it demonstrates leadership by example. Carlo’s ordinary acts made him extraordinary. His leadership came from humble devotion to God. God took his small acts of love and used them for his will. A good leader understands this. A good leader understands that leading by example is woven into the fabric of everyday life; it is woven into their interactions with the people.
As a Fenwick community, let us strive to live humble leadership. Let us rise up as leaders in our school, in our communities, in our families, and in our faith; to be the spark in someone’s life, to live out our faith in service and compassion, and to follow God’s plan.
To my fellow juniors, let these rings that we receive today not only remind us of our status as upper classmen, but of the life that we are committed to lead as upper classmen at Fenwick. When we put forth the best of ourselves in the love of God, we in turn will naturally better those around us. As we look ahead to the rest of the school year, I challenge all of Fenwick to be the spark that sets people ablaze with God’s love, and to ask the question everyday, How can I make humble leadership my everyday life.
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