St. Benedict third graders bond with sisters

 
  When third graders from St. Benedict the Moor School threw a Dec. 13 party for the Sisters of the Holy Family at their motherhouse, the Santa-hatted youngsters weren’t there just to play the bells and sing a joyful repertoire of Christmas favorites.
   They were also there to visit their friends – the sisters themselves – whom they had interviewed a month earlier through a class service project called “Adopt a Grandfriend.”
   During that previous visit to the sisters’ residence on Chef Menteur Highway, the third graders had conducted 90-minute interviews with 17 participating Holy Family sisters on their lives as children, teens and women religious.
   The junior journalists from St. Benedict were well prepared. Led by their teacher, Sister of Mercy of the Holy Cross Pam Hodgson, the third graders received training in interviewing basics and compiled their own set of questions to ask the sisters. The youngsters also learned the best way to phrase certain questions. For example, instead of asking their interviewee “how old” she was, the sister was asked to share her year of birth.
   The St. Benedict students also learned the difference between having a friendly conversation as opposed to a more formal Q&A.

   On Dec. 13, however, the third graders put their journalist caps aside to ask the sisters about their Christmas plans, give them a wrapped gift containing a handmade ornament and serve them a no-bake chocolate pie they had made in their classroom at St. Benedict.
   “You played beautifully! Our hearts have been enlarged and we’re so happy that you came,” said Sister of the Holy Family Mary Eva Regina Martin, thanking the third graders after the concert portion of their Dec. 13 visit. “You have done a lot of good things for us and we’d like to thank you,” Sister Eva Regina added. “You are beautiful children of God!”

   Students at St. Benedict have been adopting the Sisters of the Holy Family since 2006 with the support of a service-learning grant from the Joe and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation.
   The class will return to the motherhouse in the spring for the final portion of this year’s buddy program: leading a prayer service for the sisters in the convent chapel, followed by lunch in the cafeteria.
   Additional service projects by this year’s third graders will immerse them in the twin issues of hunger and homelessness. Activities will include a field trip to Rouse’s – so students can compare and contrast the nutritional content of various grocery items; spearheading a school-wide food drive benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank; delivering the collected items to the food bank and assisting in the sorting process; and making sandwiches, folding linens and presenting a bell concert at Ozanam Inn.

   Below are excerpts from some of the students’ interviews:
 
   Cameron White on Sister Josephine Francisco: She was born at home in Marksville, La. She and her friends played baseball, hopscotch and marbles. I also found out her family spoke French and English. She told me she was a tomboy because she followed her brothers. One of her funniest family stories was when she was going down the hill on a wagon and her brothers told her to turn so she wouldn’t hit the fence, but she went through it. The biggest family struggle was that they were poor with nine children. The good part is they always had someone to play with.
 
   Kayla Williamson on Sister Mary Carolyn Leslie: She was born Nov. 18, 1929. Her favorite colors are pink, red and green. Her favorite music is jazz. The dances she knows are the Waltz, the Tango and the Two-Step. Her funniest family story is when her uncle said to his dog, “You don’t have any problems. When you die, that’s the end of you, but when I die, my problems continue.” But the dog kept walking.
 
   Loration Gabriel on Sister Mary Bertrand Neveu: Sister Bertrand said that if she could change one thing in her life it would be to stop the killing and fighting. Sister Bertrand goes to the Holy Family chapel on Sunday and likes to watch television. She likes intelligent and obedient kids. Her favorite childhood story was “The Little Engine That Could.”
 
   Amani Roy on Sister Ann Michelle Mercier: She is 63 years old and has a twin brother. As a child, she had a dog named Poopsy. She used to catch frogs. Her favorite color is pink; her favorite food is potato salad and her favorite subject was reading. The subject she hated was math.

   Aaliyah Johnson on Sister Mary Frances Therese Remi: When Sister Frances was 9 she was scared of lightning and scary movies. Sister’s family spoke French and English, but Sister Frances can only speak English. She liked when her mom and dad read her books like “Peter Pan.” When Sister Frances was in high school she prayed every day at school. Sister Frances loved to fast pray and slow pray. She loved going to school. She also loved eating candy and going to the beach.