St. Peter, Covington, earns 'stamps of approval'

When an art contest challenged her to consider a quote from the Gospel of St. John – “Lord, I put my faith in you” – Madeline Campo recalled the eye-opening time she spent distributing food at the Covington Food Bank.

Taking out her colored pencils, Madeline drew a homeless man, kneeling in an abandoned, trash-strewn gas station and clutching a rosary.

“My idea was to portray someone who could count on the Lord for whatever they needed,” said Madeline, who performed her food bank work with fellow members of the TORCH (Taking on Radical Christian Holiness) youth group at St. Peter Parish in Covington. “I wanted to show how you can count on the Lord, even in your hardest times.”

Madeline’s poignant artwork hit home with judges, earning “Most Original” and “Best Overall” accolades in the 2011 “Mission Stamp Contest” sponsored by the archdiocesan Pontifical Mission Society office.

Madeline, who entered her winning piece as a St. Peter seventh grader and who is now an eighth grader at St. Scholastica Academy, also had the thrill of seeing her artwork reproduced onto a one-time run of authentic United States postage stamps.

The artist, a St. Scholastica honor student, cheerleader and student council member who also lectors at her home parish of St. Peter, said winning the contest was “a little shocking.”

“It was really exciting to see someone coming from the archdiocese to recognize me,” Madeline said, referring to the surprise announcement last May at St. Peter’s seventh-grade graduation by Dominican Sister of Peace Suzanne Brauer, the archdiocese’s mission educator and Holy Childhood Association coordinator.

The artwork of yet another St. Peter student – seventh grader Nicole Naquin  – earned first place in the contest’s “Most Artistic” category. Nicole’s artwork, which superimposes a peace lily against a blue-gowned Blessed Mother, is yet another moving take on the contest’s theme of “Lord, I put my faith in you.”

“The quote reminded me of when Mary said ‘yes’ to God to be the mother of Jesus,” said Nicole of her drawing’s inspiration. “Her eyes are closed because she is praying.”

The Children’s Mission Sunday Mass and Celebration, the annual gathering inviting Catholic schoolchildren to experience the games, music and other cultural pursuits of their peers in developing countries, will be held Oct. 22 at St. Cletus, 3600 Claire Ave., Gretna. For more information, call the mission office at 527-5773.