Rites and Rituals

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Rites and Rituals

The annual rites and rituals of Juan Diego Catholic High School hold a significant place in our school’s calendar. Each year, we meticulously craft the official rites and rituals of Juan Diego, honoring the traditions established since the school's inception. These events celebrate our students' journey and achievements, culminating in the honors bestowed upon our graduating classes. New rites are thoughtfully added only after careful discernment, ensuring their enduring contribution to our campus life. Our Rites and Rituals include:

The Feast of Saint Juan Diego Mass and Parent Letter Exchange

We celebrate the Feast Day of Our Patron with this special mass and the annual tradition of parents and students exchanging letters to one another at the beginning of the Advent Season.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit with Bishop Solis

All three school of the Skaggs Catholic Center gather together at the beginning of the school year to celebrate mass with Bishop Solis as we launch into a new year on our campus.

The Junior Rite of Commissioning - Junior Sancta Terra

In April of each year we begin preparing our Juniors to assume their roles at the next leaders of the school through a series of retreats, liturgies and ceremonies. During the Junior Rite, each junior receives a silver medallion with the school’s crest and a red rose symbolizing the power of faith as demonstrated by St. Juan Diego with Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Junior class then stands before the school and is “commissioned” as the new leaders of the school.

The Senior Sancta Terra

This late May retreat is the final time our graduating seniors gather to reflect on their time at JDCHS, their shared experiences as well as their hopes for the future.

Culminating the day, each senior participates in a decades old JDCHS tradition: The Senior Letter. Each senior writes a letter to their future self, to be returned to them on the occasion of their 10 year reunion. Parents are invited to participate in the day to close the letters by sealing them with wax and the school seal. The letters are then presented to the Bishop at the Baccalaureate Mass as a symbol of the gratitude expressed for their journey through Catholic education.

The Baccalaureate Mass

The seniors begin their farewell with a decades-old tradition in the Diocese; The Baccalaureate Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. As every Juan Diego class before them has done, the seniors process down South Temple to enter the Cathedral. With their parents and family in attendance before the Bishop, Priests of the Diocese, and Faculty and Staff, the Mass is a celebration of their upcoming graduation. The School’s highest honors: the Saint Juan Diego Awards and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Award are given at the Baccalaureate Mass.

Commencement Exercises

The commencement exercises at JDCHS are held in the same fashion as they have been since the school opened. Led entirely by members of the senior class, they experience age-old traditions of signing the Book of Graduates, recognizing the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, and changing of the tassel before processing to the Bell Tower to toss their caps.

These traditions are more than mere ceremonies; they are integral to our identity, fostering a sense of belonging and continuity within our school community.