‘There was a loving and caring energy inside BSM as special guests, the grandparents of BSM students, filled the Haben Center. Every year BSM hosts the annual Grandparents’ Day Mass. This October, a large portion of the BSM student body and their grandparents attended this mass. Grandparents’ Day Mass is a great opportunity for students to interact with their loved ones and vice versa; the families even get the privilege to spend some extra time together at the brunch held right after the ceremony. “We get to celebrate our grandchildren at their school and it’s honestly our privilege,” grandparent Lori Leis said.

Grandparents look forward to this one-on-one time with their granddaughters and grandsons not only as a time to get to know them better, but also as an opportunity walk around the school and see what it’s really like to be a student at BSM. “I like inviting my grandparents on Grandparents’ Day because I get to be with [my grandmother] and show her what I do in school,” junior Morgan Frank said.

With an estimated number of 700 grandparents and a total of 1,100 people total present at the Grandparents’ Day Mass, BSM always slightly changes up the Mass’ process to involve grandparents in the ceremony. Instead of only students participating in the ceremony, grandparents were asked to bring up gifts and do a few readings during the mass. This 2015 Grandparents’ Day was another overall success as the brunch and ceremony tied together to make it one for the books. “This Grandparents’ Day was great, very nice. The grandparents loved it, and what’s always really interesting to see is that the little glitches [the coordinators] see in the ceremony or at the brunch, the attendees would never even notice,” Grandparents’ Day coordinator and Director of Alumni Relations and Community Events Mary Fran O’Keefe said.

Grandparents’ Day is a popular annual tradition that has been running for more than two decades, and it’s one that is sure to continue for years to come. “Grandparents’ Day is a good way to involve many generations in the BSM school community. Grandparents love seeing what students do every day and supporting them in their endeavors,” Mary Fran O’Keefe said.