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Local Catholic schoolchildren will learn about the Lenten actions of prayer, sacrifice and almsgiving ...

Every year during the first week of school, we go over procedures with our brand-new kindergarten students....

God had a bigger plan than anyone realized in 2011 when he put a yearning in the hearts of a few mothers of children at St. Margaret Mary School (SMM) in Slidell....

An annual event produced by Stuart Hall’s fourth graders recently gave attendees “up-close-and-personal” encounters with more than 30 canonized saints. ► Fourth grader Harrison Serio, dressed in the brown robes of the religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209, told guests something they already knew: St. Francis is the patron saint of animals. But did they also know that the three knots in St. Francis’ cincture (rope belt) represented his vows of poverty, chastity and obedience? ► Fourth grader Race Hughes, portraying St. Augustine, reminded listeners that St. Augustine was also the son of a saint – St. Monica. Race noted how St. Augustine’s conversion began when he heard the voice of a child saying, “pick up and read” – leading him to seek out the first passage in the Bible.

Even after 39 years of teaching third graders at St. Edward Confessor in Metairie – 20 of them as director of the school’s Nativity play – Aimee Gardner admits she is still brought to tears whenever she sees her little ones reverently re-enacting Christ’s birth on the altar, at the close of the final school Mass of the calendar year.

Students at St. Christopher School in Metairie dedicated their Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Mass to the first responders who keep them safe 24/7 – many of them school parents and grandparents. At the conclusion of this “Blue Mass,” celebrated by St. Christopher’s pastor, Father Raymond Igbogiti, all students sang “The Blessing Song” asking for God’s protection of their guests, their colleagues and their families. “I know (your family members) must spend many hours in fear and anxiety as you carry out your job, but they’re always there as a unit to support and encourage you,” said Ruth Meche, principal.

Last month, students at St. Charles Borromeo School in Destrehan mounted a campus-wide “Louisiana Heritage Week” that culminated with student performances and a Museum Walk showcasing their state-themed classroom studies.

It is my privilege to wish you a very blessed Christmas! As we know in our Catholic tradition, it is not only a holiday, but it is a day on which we remember that God gave us the greatest gift that he could ever give: his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ birth, our God became one of us. Jesus, the Messiah, came not only to live among us but to show us the way, to bring us the truth and to bring new life to us as his sisters and brothers.

During the first week of Advent, Baby Jesus is deliberately placed in his manger a few weeks early when the Friends of St. Alphonsus present their annual “International Crèche Exhibit” at the St. Alphonsus Art and Cultural Center in New Orleans. This year’s exhibit, which ran from Dec. 1-8, boasted a record 168 Nativity scenes of all shapes, sizes and national origins

The CSAL Girls’ Flag Football champions of 2019 pose with their trophy Dec. 7 after prevailing in a hard-fought, single-division tournament at St. Mary Magdalen’s playing field. This year’s winner was St. Matthew the Apostle. The runner-up was St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Miniature paper models of buildings lining a hallway inside Christian Brothers’ Canal Street campus were familiar, but with a zany twist: St. Louis Cathedral was within spitting distance of the Entergy building; Jesuit High School was next to the Prytania Theater; and an Uptown establishment – GNO Cyclery – was dwarfed by a Downtown landmark: Harrah’s Hotel.

As we prepare for “Turkey Day” – that is, of course, Thanksgiving – I know that you are looking forward to a few days off from school and time with your family and friends. I hope that it is a peaceful time.

The Catholic Schools Athletic League (CSAL) championships in Girls’ Volleyball were decided Oct. 24 in the gym at Mike Miley Playground. In the senior varsity final, St. Catherine of Siena defeated St. Rita, Harahan.

The CSAL Boys’ Flag Football finals were held at St. Edward the Confessor on Nov. 6. Our Lady of the Lake was crowned senior varsity champion. The runner-up was St. Charles Borromeo.

While reading up on Haiti a few years ago, Lucy Quintana was saddened to learn that most homes had one room, no electricity and were made of flimsy materials; schools were poorly equipped; and many families struggled to feed themselves.

“Besides our kindergartners (dressed as saints), who wants to be a saint?” asked Father Matthew Johnston, garnering a sea of hands at St. Benilde’s All Saints’ Day school Mass on Nov. 1. After getting students’ feedback on their “dream” vacation destinations, Father Johnston, St. Benilde’s pastor, reminded his young congregants that saints “are those who want to go to heaven more than anywhere else, even Disney World (because it) is where we get to see God!”

“Teacher, can we have class outside?” It’s a question generations of students have asked their teachers in a mostly futile bid to get out of the classroom on a beautiful day.

The 19 students who made up last year’s kindergarten class at Holy Cross Primary School can lay claim to a rare distinction: each is a published author and illustrator.

Students, faculty and staff at St. Louis King of France School in Metairie made “Child of God” headbands earlier this month to show their support for Demario Davis, the New Orleans Saints linebacker fined by the NFL for wearing a headband professing his values and beliefs as a disciple of God. On Oct. 8, the school community was invited to wear their headband and favorite Saints shirt to campus for a group photo. Davis later learned that his fine had been canceled. Videos on the students’ show of solidarity for the free expression of religious belief went viral both locally and nationwide, even airing in England.

Very soon we will be celebrating All Saints’ Day. We will remember the saints who are so popular among us, for example, Mary and Joseph, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Peter Claver, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Rita – the list goes on and on.