Stepinac to Celebrate Pope's Visit with Peace Pole Ceremony and Children's Cancer Fundraiser

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Sept. 8, 2015 - PRLog -- A Peace Pole dedication ceremony on the morning of September 24 and a student fund raiser to support children with cancer are the meaningful ways that Archbishop Stepinac High School will celebrate Pope Francis’ much anticipated, historic visit to the U.S.

The celebration will take on a more personal, one-on-one encounter on the afternoon of September 25 when Brandon Cabaleiro (Class of 2016) of White Plains has the honor of representing Stepinac in welcoming the Pope in New York City. He is one of a select a group of outstanding 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,” he 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 at 8:30 AM on the school grounds. The pole, which is a hand-crafted 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.

Stepinac President Rev. Thomas Collins (Class of ’89) will lead the ceremony with a prayer for world peace. In attendance will be members of the administration and faculty, alumni, students and community leaders.

About Archbishop Stepinac High School

The mission of Archbishop Stepinac High School is to offer young men of the Archdiocese of New York a highly competitive academic and extracurricular program that will prepare them for college and leadership roles. The faculty and staff accomplish these objectives by pursuing excellence and creating a supportive, disciplined atmosphere with a strong sense of camaraderie and Christian values that is unique to the Stepinac experience. For more information, visit www.Stepinac.org.