Schools participate in Lenten activities

By Melissa Kokenge, Globe staff writer
April 6, 2006

There are many schools in the diocese that are busy this Lenten season.

The theme for St. Patrick School in Sheldon this Lent is "Going the Extra Mile for Katrina." They are putting sneakers made out of paper around the school for their almsgiving project. The students are planning on sending the money they raise to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The K-4 graders shoe is worth 50 cents, and for every shoe the 5-8 graders put up it is worth $1.

"Each class has a different color sneaker, and they are pretty much going all the way through the school," said Virginia Huss, principal for St. Patrick School. "The students haven't forgotten what has happened down there and you should see all the sneakers in the building."

The money is going to the Presentation Collaborate Ministry in New Orleans.

"The sisters write to the students and tell them how they are using the money. It makes it really personal for the children," said Sister Anne McCormick.

There are five Presentation Sisters down in New Orleans working. This will be the second fundraiser that the school has done for hurricane victims.

"The children are so excited we are almost all the way around the whole school. We are already up and around the doors," said Sister Anne. "With each class having a different color, the students like to see who has the most shoes on the wall."

Danbury Catholic School has also been busy this Lenten season with a mini retreat that they had on Feb. 28 in the afternoon for all students preschool through sixth grade. They also looked at the Stations of the Cross, followed by a celebration in the afternoon. The students then started their Lenten season with a Mass on Ash Wednesday.

"The students circulated through different centers such as prayer, a resurrection activity and a prayer center. They then watched a brief Lenten movie," said Kristy Liechti, principal at Danbury Catholic.

The kids also had a burning of the ashes. They gathered on the school playground and burned the palms.

"This is the second year we have done the burning of the ashes and I always put a little prayer out in the foyer that has the barren tree for students and they see those ashes out there and it means something to them. It kind of brings it all home," said Liechti.

Also throughout the Lenten season each classroom plans a Monday prayer so all the kids have an opportunity to be part of prayer.

"Today we had a special reconciliation prayer service. We all gathered in the hall and the students gave us little pieces of purple material to remind us of reconciliation," Liechti said.

Pocahontas Catholic School will be having an all-day retreat at the end of Lent on April 13. They will be going through different centers throughout the school.

"The whole day on the 13th will be scheduled around a retreat day for the students just to circulate through centers and I will have a prayer center established," said Liechti, also principal at Pocahontas Catholic School.

Throughout Lent the students at Pocahontas have also been decorating a tree with crosses or Easter eggs to show Christian acts of compassion, character and value. Students are able to put a cross or Easter egg on the tree to symbolize some acts of compassion or character they have made throughout Lent. . "We try to do things that will have impacts on students and they are going to remember," said Liechti.