Remembering my student days

Sometime in the late spring of next year, many of my former high school classmates will gather for a reunion, which will mark the 55th year of our graduation from Christian Brothers Academy

It will be bittersweet.

Sadly, at least 17 members of our class have died and are no longer with us.

Moreover, more than 40 percent of my class currently live out of state. Many I have not seen or spoken to since the day of our graduation, June 5, 1972.

Certainly, our reunion is not a matter of living in the past. It is simply the recognition that each member of the class has a personal history, and that our memories of them, good or bad, will not be forgotten.

Lest we forget, the late ’60s and early ’70s were tumultuous times in our nation. Among the many challenges facing Americans were the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, the Civil Right Movement, the rise of feminism and the fracturing of the family.

To identify as a cadet in the age of an unpopular war was, at times, difficult. It seemed that each one of us had a target on his back.

But we were all “brothers.”

I am reminded of a song co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1967, “With a Little Help from My Friends,” which was composed when I was in seventh grade at CBA.

The words underscore the indispensability of friendship.

“Does it worry you to be alone?

How do I feel at the end of

the day?

Are you sad because you are on your own?

No, I get by with a little help from my friends.

Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends.”

I still remember the joy of anticipation of seeing my classmates again after our summer vacation.

Having turned 72 in June, I can assure all readers that my focus is not my military training at CBA (I had too many demerits) nor academics (I was a poor student), but the friendships I cultivated and the Christian values instilled in me over my six years at the school.

“Hold on to what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21), writes Saint Paul to the Christian community of Thessalonia. In my dotage, I hold on to the beautiful memories of my classmates and teachers, all of whom played a significant role in preparing me for the challenges of adult life.

Today, a classmate arranges a luncheon or breakfast for the members of our class. Usually there is a good turnout for the gathering. We enjoy telling stories about our past and meeting the challenges of old age.

There are no sad faces.

We enjoy each other’s company

How blessed we are because, as Lennon and McCarney so eloquently put it, we all “get by with a little help from our friends.”

Father John Yanas is pastor at Sacred Heart in Troy.