Serra Club of Siouxland sponsored vocations creativity contest

By Katie Lefebvre, Globe staff reporter
Posted January 9, 2003

The grade school children of the Diocese of Sioux City are given the opportunity to show their creative side. The Serra Club is in its fifth year of helping with the Vocations Creativity Contest.

The contest is being held during National Vocation Awareness Week, Jan. 12-17.

Students will be participating in the contest first on the local (parish or school) level.An objective judge from each local level will select the best entry from each classroom, K-8th grade.

The best entries are to be submitted to the diocesan Vocations Office along with an entry form. All entries must be postmarked on or before Jan. 31. Each of the students is asked to type out their entry for the judges.

"The contest is to encourage them to consider what God's plan is for their future and to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life," said Sharri Fitzpatrick.

In the past, the contest has drawn close to 3,000 entries at the local level. Then from those there is one from each classroom chosen to be sent on. There are usually near to 300 that are sent in to be judged at the Diocesan Vocations Office.

"We get a large response every year. It seems to do a lot of good and the entries are just excellent," said Fitzpatrick. "It shows the quality of work our students are doing. It is from both, Catholic schools and religious education programs, and there seems to be so much enthusiasm for the project."

The theme for this year's contest is "Baptized in the Spirit." The theme comes from the National Vocation Awareness theme. Each grade level is given an assignment that goes along with the theme.

"One of the assignments is to thank the priests and religious people that they are in contact with to appreciate what they do for them," said Fitzpatrick about the assignment for the first grade students. It not only can help the children gain a sense of appreciation but also may plat the seed of a religious vocation.

Kindergarters are asked to draw, on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, a picture showing a priest, sister, brother, and/or deacon sharing their life in service.

An example of another assignment is that the seventh graders are to write a letter to an imaginary friend urging him or her to consider a vocation as a priest, sister, brother, and/or deacon. They are to describe the qualities they see in that friend that are needed in a religious vocation.

"There are a lot of really intelligent and well thought out entries that come in," said Fitzpatrick.

The contest is usually judged by a committee of Serra members and one religious, if possible, commented Fitzpatrick. In mid-February, the entries will be judged and in March the winners will be notified.

In May the students who have received first place are invited to a dinner. The students can be accompanied by parents and family to celebrate.

"This culminates with a dinner with the bishop," said Fitzpatrick. "That's always very enjoyable, and we get people to come from throughout the diocese to the Cathedral."