Catholic student learns profound lesson in forgiveness and faith
Mia Caldarone, a Catholic student in the 7th grade at St. Joseph School in Oradell, NJ, won the 5th annual “Christ Is Alive!” National Essay Contest, sharing a heartfelt story about the role of forgiveness and faith in her life.
“I was quite nervous at first to share such a raw experience. But I was also happy that my story was shared,” Caldarone said, adding that she loves writing and aspires to become a journalist one day.
ComCenter, the nation’s leading distributor of Catholic religious education curriculum, hosts the contest annually. It is open to children in grades 3 – 8 enrolled in Catholic schools and parish religious education programs throughout the country. The contest encourages young people to share moments when they felt close to God.
Out of the hundreds of entries, judges select only 12 winners — one boy and one girl from each grade level.
Letting go of a grudge through the power of Christ
In her winning essay, Caldarone recounted a deeply personal experience of reconciling with her grandfather after a significant argument. Although she did not share the details of the argument, Caldarone did share the details of their reconciliation. The turning point, she said, occurred during a family Mass at school in October 2023 that her grandfather attended. Despite weeks of estrangement, Caldarone felt a compelling urge to approach her grandfather during the service. She described the moment as an unexpected but profound encounter with God’s presence, leading to a tearful embrace and the mending of their relationship.
“God is spontaneous and works in many odd ways,” Mia wrote. “I believe that God was at work that day, working to unite my family with love.”
Her essay highlighted the unpredictable nature of divine intervention and emphasized the importance of forgiveness, underscoring that life is short and relationships should be cherished. She said she hoped that readers of her essay would learn not to hold grudges and to recognize the importance of forgiveness.
“Nothing seemed to bring us together but being in the atmosphere of forgiveness at church,” Caldarone said, reflecting on the pivotal moment that led to reconciliation with her grandfather.
Caldarone, who enjoys reading fiction and classics and writing, lives with her family and their dog, Coby, in Oradell. Her faith plays a significant role in her daily life, she said, by providing her with “a strong moral compass” to guide her decision-making.
“I use Jesus’ journey on earth to guide the decisions I make every day,” she said.
St. Joseph’s School encourages students to reflect on faith
St. Joseph’s principal Kassie Pierinelli said she was proud of Caldarone’s accomplishment. “I was thrilled to find out that one of our student’s essays was picked out of hundreds throughout the nation,” he said. This year was the second year that the school submitted entries to the contest.
The school encouraged participation in the contest by integrating the essay topic into their religion class discussions, according to Pierinelli. Subsequently, students reflected and wrote about their experiences with faith.
For her winning essay, Caldarone received $100, a Bible of her choice from comcenter.com, and $100 for a class celebration. The contest also awards $100 to the religion teacher and $200 to the school or parish of each winning student.
