White Plains Stepinac Senior to Take Part in Welcoming Pope Francis to NYC
A Peace Pole dedication ceremony and a student fundraiser to support children with cancer are two meaningful ways in which Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, will celebrate Pope Francis’ much anticipated and historic visit to the United States
On the day of the pontiff’s arrival in New York City, Sept. 25, Brandon Cabaleiro (Class of 2016) a White Plains resident, has the honor of representing Stepinac in welcoming the Pope in New York City. He is one of a select a group of students from throughout the Archdiocese of New York who was chosen to share in the excitement of greeting the Holy Father.
Stepinac Principal Paul Carty said that the school wanted to mark the special occasion in ways that would “resonate with the Pope’s mission and would be in keeping with our tradition as one of nation’s 50 top ranked Catholic High Schools. We decided that focusing on world peace and having our students dedicate their generosity toward supporting a worthy but timely cause perfectly fit the bill,” Carty explained.
As it turns out, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is being observed at the same time as the Pope’s visit. Carty noted that the goal of the students is to raise $2,000 or more by September 24 when a check will be presented to representatives from Go4theGoal, the non-profit organization committed to helping children with cancer.
The check presentation will follow the Peace Pole dedication ceremony, which will be held on the school grounds. The pole, which is a handcrafted monument about six feet high, displays the message and prayer, May Peace Prevail on Earth. Carty said that Stepinac’s Peace Pole has that message translated in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Albanian, Chinese, Korean and Croatian. Several thousands of Peace Poles can be found in 180 countries around the world as a reminder of the need to visualize and pray for world peace.
