At the 2025 graduation ceremony, class of 1985 alum Chris Daly gave a heartfelt commencement speech worthy of sharing with the broader OLS community. Here it is.
I’d like to thank Sr Cecile for the honor of addressing you, the 2025 graduates of Our Lady of sorrows and your families. Sister instructed me to keep this short but as she probably recalls from my time at OLS, I wasn’t always great at following directions.
As mentioned my name is Chris Daly and I graduated in 1985.
I have so many incredible memories of OLS, including 8th grade fairs, class trips to Philadelphia and Great Adventure, Boy Scouts, basketball, baseball, dress-down days the Friday before Super Bowls, being an altar boy, helping to build the playground behind the convent, so many amazing teachers, and lifelong friends. As a matter of fact, I’m in a couple of text chains today with several of my OLS classmates. One is titled “BOYZ” which is just for the fellas, and another that includes the girls from our class. 40 years later and we’re still friends. But I must confess my first few days at Our Lady of Sorrows were rather uncomfortable.
I arrived in White plains from neighboring Hartsdale in 1979, entering OLS as a 3rd grader. I was very intimidated. I was the awkward new kid. I didn’t know anyone and it seemed to me that everyone else already had the place figured out. At least 2 of my classmates had cousins in the same class and to make things worse, the girls in our class outnumbered the boys by almost 3 to 1. My first day at recess, a few of my new classmates, all girls, decided to introduce themselves by challenging me to a game of tag. I was terrified and I took off running. By my reaction, you would have thought they were a vicious gang, so naturally when they caught me, like any other respectable 3rd grade boy, I started crying. A tough start, but eventually I found my groove.
One of my favorite memories involves Sr Cecile. Sister was the first grade teacher when I arrived. My mom quickly became friends with Sister and also become her teammate on a local softball team with around 8 other nuns. The name of the Team was “Nuns Better.” It was amazing to see these nuns out there in shorts and tee shirts hitting the ball a mile, throwing harder than any of the 8th grade boys and girls I knew, sliding into home plate—maybe the occasional disagreement with an umpire’s call, just all around very competitive. It was surreal to me!
Beyond the great memories, the thing I’m most grateful for regarding my time at OLS is the foundation that was formed here in my faith. I have had many successes and failures in my life but through it all, I’ve been truly blessed with a Big loving God, an incredible wife, 3 amazing sons, incredible parents, siblings and lots of nieces and nephews. Most of them live within just a few miles from here. And it all started with this amazing Our Lady of Sorrows community.
Now, in preparing what I wanted to share with you today, I thought, What do I wish I could have told my younger 8th grade graduating self back in 1985? Three subjects come to mind:
1-Fear
2-Faith
and 3- Grace
Graduates, as it’s your day, I’m gonna [sic] make everyone else do a little bit of work. You can just sit back & relax but pay attention, as this is for you.
#1 Fear. Parents, grandparents, teachers and anyone else that is 20 years of age or older — if you’re able to — please stand up. I’m going to run through a few scenarios that describe some of the fears I’ve suffered in my life, not the fear of the dark kinda [sic] fear, but more like the story I shared earlier about my first day. Fear of being less than, less popular than some of my peers, less intelligent, less attractive, less successful, maybe doing something embarrassing that was going to make people not like me. Now if you’ve ever felt this kind of fear, please sit down. Only remain standing if you’ve never felt this kind of fear in your life. Graduates my message here is: Everybody’s afraid—there’s no escaping it.
I want you to remember this message for the rest of your life —
Everyone is afraid!
# 2 Faith. This is how we overcome Fear. With Faith, there isn’t anything you can’t accomplish. Trust God!!! This is the greatest super power of all time. Next time you encounter Fear, say a prayer—not a prayer that everything works out the way you want, but a prayer that you’re strong enough to accept whatever happens. This is true Power!!!!
# 3 and final is Grace.
As children, none of us did anything to deserve the privilege of being born into this amazing community. Most, if not all, of us weren’t raised in a 3rd world country ravaged by constant wars. We were raised in arguably one of the most affluent areas of the greatest countries in the most prosperous of times. You have parents and a community that loves and supports you.
So be humble. Acknowledge this is a gift. And share this gift with others by being kind to all.
In summary-
Be stronger than Fear by using your super power of Faith and prayer and accept the gifts that have been given to you with Grace. You now have all of the secrets needed to be successful in life. Go forth and be the warriors of our faith that God expects of OLS Lancers.
Good luck to each and every one of you in your high school careers and beyond—and may God continue to bless you!