Eighth-grade students of St. Mary School were challenged to explore the topic of hunger in America for the annual Modern Woodmen of America…
Speech Contest Winners
Eighth-grade students of St. Mary School were challenged to explore the topic of hunger in America for the annual Modern Woodmen of America speech competition.
In 1948, Modern Woodmen of America developed the contest to offer students an opportunity to develop skills in clear thinking and public speaking. Today, it is an important event in schools across the nation.
First place winner Melanie Schaefer was surprised to learn how many people locally go hungry every day.
Second place winner Kaylie Malloy said, “It isn’t a distant problem. It’s everywhere.”
Taylor Slish, third place recipient, shared that the students were able to work with English teacher Edie Joyce first to practice skills and then delivered a three to five minute speech later to the judges. Speeches were evaluated on levels of persuasiveness, information, and effectiveness.
The Modern Woodmen contest hopes to help participants learn skills that will help with school projects, job interviews and careers. The contest provides kids with opportunities to gain new public speaking skills, fine-tune existing English skills and enhance self-esteem.
Congratulations to all who participated.
Parish Festival Scheduled
St. Mary’s third annual Parish Festival is July 29-31. The church has committed to making the festival an annual event, allowing the community to come together for an old-fashioned church festival every summer. The dates are set, entertainment is booked, food and games are being lined up, but there is still much work to be done.
The committee is in search of volunteers for time leading up to the festival and the days of the event. Everything from tradesmen to cooks, ticket-takers to casino dealers, set-up crews to tear down and everything in between will be needed to make the event a success again. Please consider giving a few hours of time this summer.
In addition, sponsors both big and small are needed to help ensure all the amazing activities included last year will return, and so that even more can be added. Individuals or businesses interested in helping sponsor the event may email Maureen at maureenintihar@gmail.com or call the church office, 440-285-7051.
The festival will again include performances from some of the best local bands around, a full casino, rides, homemade food and fireworks.
The main stage will host Blue Eyed Soul/Jersey Beat on Friday, Abby Normal & The Detroit Lean on Saturday and Polka, Jungle Terry and Disco Inferno on Sunday. The full fireworks display is Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
For more information, visit stmaryfestivalchardon.org.
The Year of Mercy
By Maureen Intihar
St. Mary Church is celebrating the Jubilee of Mercy. A time of grace, peace, conversion and joy. But what is this year all about? As someone who works for St. Mary School, I felt I should know more about this celebration and how I can participate, so I went straight to a reliable source to help me out. Mrs. Henry’s second-grade class has just been through their First Reconciliation, so they should know all about the concept of mercy. I’m sure they can help me.
First, I asked, “What is Mercy?” The class shared many words to describe mercy. Amelia said, “love”, and Rachel said, “praying and caring.” Others mentioned peace, sacrifice and helping; but Susanna told me it meant, “giving people a second chance, or maybe a 3rd or even a 4th.” Luke said, “it’s when you are in a battle and the other person is losing so you just stop and give them mercy.” Like in a thumb war perhaps?
Then, I wondered if they could help me decide what the “Jubilee” part was all about. Many were stumped by this word but Kate thought it was a “big party for God.” I think she nailed it.
Next, I asked, “What is “forgiveness?” Lilah said, “if someone pushed you, they say sorry and you say I forgive you.” Brayden said, “if someone does something bad to you, you forgive and try to trust them again.” Ryan added, “When we sin, He will always forgive because he died for us, kind of like love.” Dominic felt sure that “when people say sorry, people forgive them.” I hope that’s true.
So, I wondered, how do my second-grade friends show forgiveness in their lives? Nic and many of his friends said it’s as simples as saying, “It’s ok” when someone says sorry. My friend Andrew said, “if someone makes you mad or hurts you, say it’s ok and hug them.” Lukas said, “it’s just being nice” and Tommy likes to add, “Apology accepted.”
As we continued to talk, I thought, these children are so wonderful and kind; could they ever need forgiveness themselves? Yes, in fact, Olivia said, “I needed it hundreds of times.” Adrian said, “everyone in this class should say yes because we’ve all been to reconciliation.” Zach whole-heartedly agreed and said, “everyone should say yes because nobody is perfect except God and Jesus.” Most confessed that they could be nicer to their siblings and listen to their parents better, but all agreed they have needed forgiveness at some point.
Which led me to wonder, do they know about The Holy Doors? So, I showed them a banner with a picture of a Holy Door on it and asked what they thought it could be. Andrea thought it would “go to Heaven or rainbows” and Hannah thought maybe “it is a door to Heaven or a new world.” Lily said, “If you go through it you will see God and be blessed.” Oliver said, “It’s like a door to your heart room, where Jesus waits for you” and many agreed that was a good answer, but Frances said the door will “lead us to reconciliation to forgive our sins.” Aiden was surprised, “all you have to do is walk through?”
When I explained to them what the Holy Door meant to Catholics, and that Bishop Lennon just opened a new one right near us in Euclid at The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, they were shocked. They all want to go and visit. Luke wanted to know “could he bless our school doors so that we are always forgiven?”
What I learned from our second-grade class made me realize that the words of Pope Frances are very true. He called the young people to action. He said, “The Year of Mercy is meant for everyone: people of every age, from far and near. The Holy Door is now open in Rome and in all the dioceses of the world. This grace-filled moment also concerns you, dear young people. I encourage you to take an active part in this celebration and to realize that each of you is a child of God.”
May we all take a lesson from our youngest students and actively engage in the celebration of mercy this year.
