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St. Mary Celebrates 2023 Valedictorian, Salutatorians

Rosemarie Cruz

GAYLORD — St. Mary Cathedral High School in Gaylord has revealed the Class of 2023 valedictorian and salutatorians.

The valedictorian at St. Mary is Rosemarie Cruz and co-salutatorians are Emma Glasby and Annalise Udell.

Cruz had a GPA of 4.19 and is the daughter of Carrie and Danny Cruz.

Her school highlights include cheering with and co-captaining the Spirit Squad, two years of volleyball, acting onstage with the Cathedral Players, having an active part on the ITS board, playing the flute with the Cathedral Band and Jazz Band, singing at mass and school community events, participation on the board of the National Honor Society, president of the Disciples committee, and participation in and on the board of the Otsego County Youth Advisory Committee.

"My favorite class I've ever taken has to be anatomy and physiology. You learn about the most minute building blocks of what you are: there is nothing more interesting than understanding the very organism that you've been living as for your entire life. The dissections were pretty cool, too," she said.

The 2023 St. Mary Cathedral High School graduation will take place at noon on June 4.

Cruz plans on attending Michigan State University in the fall.

"I'll be studying for a pre-med degree and majoring in biology. Once I graduate I'll attend a med school, and finally in about 12 years or so I'll hopefully be a pediatric critical care specialist."

Cruz added that "If I could share any single life philosophy, it would be perseverance."

"Stoic as it may sound, you just have to let yourself be sometimes, let the waves of resistance roll over you, and understand you will be OK. Nothing is ever the end. Your movement through life cannot be stopped by any individual except yourself," Cruz said.

"I'd also like to thank every person who's helped me get to where I am today: the teachers and staff of St. Mary's, my friends, my sister Danielle, my intelligent parents, the Udell family and Mr. Miller for helping me get through my most difficult times," she added.

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Emma Glasby

Glasby is the daughter of Heather and Russell Glasby and had a GPA of 4.15.

Her activities in high school included serving as president of the National Honor Society, president of the Coordinators Committee, president of the Youth Advisory Council, varsity basketball, varsity softball, varsity golf, varsity volleyball, serving on the board of the Cathedral Players, and being a member of the International Thespian Society.

"My favorite subject in high school was anatomy because I learned things that I would use in my day-to-day life," said Glasby. "It gave me a basis of common knowledge that is important for everyone to know. I also enjoyed it because I got to take the class with my closest and best friends. We were able to do dissections and fun labs to turn our learning into fun activities."

After high school, Glasby plans to attend the honors college at Grand Valley State University to major in education and business."I want everyone to have the best high school experience and enjoy every aspect. It is important to find a balance of fun and academic work without putting too much pressure on yourself. Enjoy every moment and be present," she said.

Annalise Udell

Udell had a GPA of 4.15 and she is the daughter of Natalie and Bruce Udell.

Her high school activities included Cathedral Players, softball and National Honor Society.

Her favorite subject was English "because I enjoy discussing with my peers," she added.

Udell plans on majoring in theater and business at the University of Detroit Mercy.

The 2023 St. Mary Cathedral High School graduation will take place at noon on June 4.

— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.Com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: St. Mary celebrates 2023 valedictorian, salutatorians

With Mahaney On Bench, Saint Mary's Beats VCU In NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

ALBANY — When a team sends its second-leading scorer, its impact freshman, to the bench for the majority of the second half, it might spell doom for a lot of teams.

It didn't for the Saint Mary's Gaels, who turned on the jets in the second half with freshman guard Aidan Mahaney on the bench with four fouls. Mahaney did not play in the final 16 minutes of Saint Mary's 63-51 victory against the VCU Rams in Friday afternoon's first-round NCAA tournament action at MVP Arena.

Instead, it was Mitchell Saxon, a player who came into the game averaging 11.6 points per game, stepping up, scoring 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Alex Ducas came through in a big way as well, scoring 17 points while playing the entire game.

"We back Aidan all the way," Ducas said. "I know sometimes he has tough nights. I do try and take a little bit of a step forward and be more aggressive in certain parts of my game just to provide for that scoring that he kind of takes away when he goes out."

Saxon was the one who jumped on the Rams early, scoring eight of Saint Mary's first 21 points and grabbing three rebounds, while Ducas chipped in with seven points.

"We had to get on the O-boards early. We were struggling a little bit. We were all missing layups and shots we usually make," Saxon said. "So we just kind of had to keep with it and be aggressive in there and get the job done."

Mahaney, a freshman, was playing in his first NCAA tournament game. He finished scoreless on five shots, three of them coming from behind the 3-point line, in just over 18 minutes of playing time.

"There's a little pressure there," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. "I look forward to seeing him play on Sunday. He's a good player, he got in foul trouble and he didn't have a great game today, but he'll bounce back." 

Augustas Marciulionis stepped up for the Gaels as well, finishing with 13 points. He came into the game averaging just 5.6 points per game and finishing in double figures in just six of the Gaels' first 33 games this season. His 13 points were just one point shy of both a season and career high, which came earlier this season.

"He's going to be one of the guys next year, one of our main guys. So he's a good player," Bennett said. "So he saved us. He was really good. I'm glad we have him."

The team's leading scorer, Logan Johnson, finished with 12 points, a below-average performance from the fifth-year guard. However, the 6-foot-2 Johnson made an impact on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds.

This all comes back to the sheer number of weapons that Saint Mary's has and the ability to win any type of way. The Gaels held the Rams to their lowest point total of the season. VCU's season-low before Friday was 59.

Now, the Gaels will have a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in over a decade when it faces UConn on Sunday. That would be just the second time Bennett has advanced to the Sweet 16 since he took over as head coach in 2001.

"In the NCAA tournament, it's different," Bennett said. "Everything is different. You're on the grand stage. Like I said before, this is the best sporting event in this country. So everybody's watching."

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PHOTOS: Discover 8 Beautiful Images Of The Virgin Mary In St. Peter's Basilica

The basilica contains an icon of the Virgin Mary titled "Mater Ecclesiae," which means "Mother of the Church."

The original image of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child was painted on a column in old St. Peter's Basilica, built by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. It was later transferred to the 16th-century St. Peter's Basilica. Paul VI honored the icon with the title "Mater Ecclesiae" after the Second Vatican Council.

The icon can still be seen above one of the basilica's side altars in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Column, which also contains the remains of St. Leo the Great (440–461).

A mosaic of the Virgin Mary overlooking St. Peter's Square was inspired by the original Mater Ecclesiae image. The mosaic was installed after the assassination attempt against St. John Paul II in 1981.

When he blessed the mosaic, John Paul II prayed "that all those who will come to this St. Peter's Square will lift up their gaze towards you [Mary], to direct, with feelings of filial trust, their greetings and their prayers."

In 2018, Pope Francis added the memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church to the liturgical calendar for the Monday after Pentecost.

Mother of Pilgrims A restored 16th-century painting of Our Lady holding her Son can be found in St. Peter's Basilica above the sarcophagus of Pope Gregory XIV under the title "Mother of Pilgrims." Daniel Ibañez/CNA

A restored 16th-century painting of Our Lady holding her son can be found in St. Peter's Basilica above the sarcophagus of Pope Gregory XIV.

The image is titled "Mater Peregrinorum," or Mother of Pilgrims. The original artist is not known, but Italians also refer to the painting as the "Madonna di Scossacavalli" because it came from Rome's Church of San Giacomo Scossacavalli, which was demolished in 1937 to create the current Via della Conciliazione leading to St. Peter's Basilica.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

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A 12th-century painting on wood titled Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Gregorian Chapel of St. Peter's Basilica. Daniel Ibañez/CNA

A 12th-century painting on wood titled Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also known as Our Lady of Succor, was transferred to an altar in St. Peter's Gregorian Chapel on Feb. 12, 1578, with a solemn procession.

The painting was the first artistic restoration completed under Pope Francis' pontificate during the Year of Faith, according to a book published by the Knights of Columbus.

The remains of the doctor of the Church St. Gregory of Nazianzus (d. 390) are preserved in an urn beneath the Altar of Our Lady of Succor in the Gregorian Chapel, found on the right side of the basilica.

Ark of the Covenant A mosaic altarpiece of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple can be found above the tomb of St. Pius X near the left-front entrance of the basilica. Daniel Ibañez/CNA

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