Students who attend Catholic Schools within the Archdiocese of Newark live out their Catholic faith through meaningful service to others such as feeding the needy, drives, and environmental initiatives.
Catholic schools not only support students to excel academically but also spiritually, encouraging young people to actively embrace and embody a spirit of compassionate service to others. Community service, which is rooted in the principles of Catholic discipleship, is embedded into the schools’ core missions. It enables students to witness and actively participate in living out Catholic social teaching beyond the classroom.
During Catholic Schools Week, the commitment to service is spotlighted as schools across the country rally to celebrate the virtues that make Catholic schools unique. This celebration stands as a testament to the enduring connection between Catholic education and a lifelong commitment to making a positive impact on the world.
On Jan. 18, students at Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale embodied the school’s mission statement “Vir Fidelis,” which means “faithful man” in Latin, by loading turkeys to donate to a local pantry. Turkey donations and other acts of service are a norm at the school, where a culture of service runs deep within the framework of the school. The boys helped load a truck with 20 turkeys for the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River and over 30 cases of canned goods on their way to St. Andrew in Westwood.At Holy Trinity School in Westfield, the 2nd-grade students partner with another grade each month throughout the school year to prepare sandwiches for St. Joseph Social Service Center in Elizabeth. The parents from both grades join forces to coordinate the necessary supplies. The sandwich-making sessions are accompanied by a meaningful educational experience in which students learn about hunger in the U.S., with a specific focus on New Jersey, where one in five children is affected by hunger. On Jan. 11, students of Immaculate Heart Academy participated in a benefit for all those affected by the war in the Middle East. Students and staff donated money to help World Central Kitchen which provides meals and access to food for those impacted by the ongoing violence. In total, the community donated over $3,000 to World Central Kitchen.At the Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest, Alison Roh of Englewood Cliffs, president of the EcoSchools Club, brought a liquid disposal bin to the student commons to facilitate recycling. Roh’s participation in the 2023 Columbia Climate School’s Green Mountains Pre-College Summer Program inspired her to install the receptacle on campus.In a separate project, Ellie Sawyer of Weehawken and president of the AHA Green Action Team coordinated the installation of a Little Free Library on the school’s campus. Little Free Library patrons are invited to take a book, share a book, or both. Sawyer noted that the Green Action Team has hosted clothing swaps in the past, so she and another team member decided to extend that concept to books.
Featured image: The students participate in decorating lunch bags and assembling cold cuts, cheese, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Each bag contains a sandwich, drink, fruit, and treat. The lunches, usually totaling 150 or more, are delivered to the center in Elizabeth by one of the moms.
