Summer break is always a good time to look back on the accomplishments of the past school year, and I think it’s important to share those with all of the parishioners. After all, as I say frequently, the school is the largest ministry in the parish, and all of you subsidize it with your Sunday collections, so it’s important that you know of the good things that go on in our school every day.
One thing I’m particularly proud of is our school service program. It is important for our students to learn early in their education that serving others is a part of living our Catholic faith, and so we integrate service into each grade. From Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade, each grade is paired with a different service agency. The agencies we partnered with this year included Wellbrooke, Healthwin, Meals on Wheels (through Real Services), St. Vincent de Paul and Cultivate Food Rescue.
Thus, by the time a student reaches 7th grade they’ve been exposed to a variety of social issues to which people of faith are impelled to respond: aging, poverty, food insecurity, etc. They also learn how, no matter their age, they can respond in a meaningful way that shares God’s love with those in most need. For our youngest students, this included making cards and crafts for the elderly. For older students, it included guest speakers who introduced them to the root causes of poverty and packaging meals for the poor. For all students, it involved keeping their partner agencies in their prayers regularly. Then in the 7th and 8th grade, students start choosing where to perform their service hours, all of which culminates in our 8th Grade Service Immersion. It is our hope that by this time, they’ve not only been exposed to a lot of different service opportunities, but that they’ve also begun to develop hearts for Christian service. After all, the goal of this is for them to continue to make service a regular part of their lives, even after they’ve grown up and no longer have to get their service hours!
Many thanks to our Assistant Principal, Erin Turnock, who oversees the program; and to all of the faculty, staff and students who have served so faithfully throughout the year. Rest assured that God will ensure that the seeds you planted this year will continue to bear abundant fruit.
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