By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
A few weeks into the 2025-26 school year, a momentous occasion took place at Bishop Ludden-Grimes Jr/Sr High School in Syracuse: the former Bishop Grimes and Bishop Ludden junior-senior high schools came together and celebrated the first school Mass together as a newly integrated school community.
The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia in the school gymnasium on the morning of Sept. 19. Filling the gym were students in grades seven through 12, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Before Mass began, the director of campus ministry, Monica Zallo, introduced herself to students and announced this year’s campus ministry theme: “Not me, but God.” This famous quote by Saint Carlo Acutis was also referenced by Bishop Lucia in his homily.
“In his relationship with God, Carlo found what he needed. He found his daily bread,” Bishop said. “Think of that when we say the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father. What does it say? ‘Give us this day, our daily bread.’ What are we asking for? We’re asking for what we need today to help us live as God’s sons and daughters — to be what God is calling us to be.”
Bishop Lucia gives a homily during the Mass. Photo by Chris Tricase
After the Mass ended, The Catholic Sun spoke with a small group of 11th-grade students, all of whom are peer ministers for this school year. Riley and Olivia each attended Bishop Grimes previously. They shared how they’ve felt a warm welcome even though the school building is new to them.
“It feels different. I’m still getting used to it. … Everybody’s really nice and welcoming,” Riley said.
“I really like it so far,” said Olivia. “I think I’ve met some of my new best friends so far, and everyone’s just so nice here.”
Luke and Melissa, students who previously attended Bishop Ludden, also shared their impressions of the school year to date, including the impact of the arrival of many new students and teachers who had previously attended or taught at Bishop Grimes.
“I thought it was kind of a smooth transition,” Luke said. “I thought it’s been going really [well]. So far, all of the teachers have been great. It’s just been a couple of weeks, but it’s been a lot of fun.” He added that class sizes have almost doubled this year, compared to recent years.
“Being at Ludden, it was always so small, so you kind of knew everyone in the halls. And now you see someone, and you’re like ‘Oh, I don’t even know them,’ because they’re from Grimes,” said Melissa. “So it’s different, but it’s cool and fun to just see how their community was and how ours was, and then to see them merge. … It just brought so many new clubs and a lot more opportunities to be involved and make new friends.”
At the end of Mass, before the upperclassmen and peer ministers helped put the gymnasium back into its normal state, Zallo made another announcement. She explained to students that the tabernacle, where the consecrated Eucharist, Jesus’ body, is kept, would be moved into the school chapel, where it would remain during the school year. She invited the students to come there anytime they felt a call to visit Jesus and spend time with Him.
Earlier, in his homily, Bishop had shared a similar message.
“We celebrate today God who promises to be with us on the journey of life, wherever we find ourselves,” be it on a mountain top or in a deep valley, he said. “God is there for us. Jesus is there for us.”
