Editor’s Note: Below is a speech delivered by Our Lady of Walsingham Academy senior Meg Ambuul at the school’s annual gala on Nov. 11 at Creekside Event Center. Ambuul is a senior.

I can say with some authority that attending Our Lady of Walsingham Academy is a lot of work. A few years ago, that would have been a complaint. But now, as I pursue the studies of my senior year, I’m actually grateful. 

Holy Days of Obligation in the coming weeks: 
• The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Monday, Dec. 9.
• Christmas Day on Wednesday, Dec. 25.
•The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Jan. 1, 2025.

A listing of parishes in the diocese that will hold Masses and other events to commemorate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.

The ACT for Freedom Now Rosary Appeal ran from Oct. 1-31.

NEW YORK. The saints can sometimes seem like lofty, unrelatable figures. It’s rare to find contemporary examples of sanctity, and rarer still to find models of heroic virtue among the young.

There has been an effort in recent decades to promote the canonization of individuals from various walks of life. Yet the majority of those so recognized continue to be drawn from the clergy or the religious orders.