Students reflect on their favorite saints and learn valuable lessons
Catholic school students within the archdiocese have been engaged in research projects and exhibitions that showcase the lives of various saints.
At Our Lady of Częstochowa School in Jersey City, third-grade teacher Deirdre O’Connor has introduced a fresh approach to the traditional Catholic saints’ poster project that students are expected to complete every spring.
Students create a biographical poster and give an oral report about an assigned saint. The project aims to help students develop knowledge in theology, and skills in reading informational texts and iwritings.
O’Connor said that she had the idea to incorporate a “gallery walk” exhibition with this year’s project. Students were invited to dress up as the saints they were assigned to create a live exhibition. Students from other classes, parents, and family members were invited to attend the gallery walk and ask the students questions about their projects.
“We do it every year and they always get really excited about it,” O’Connor said. The decision to incorporate the gallery walk in this year’s project instilled a newfound excitement among the students, she said.
More than 10,000 saints are recognized by the Roman Catholic Church and the project enabled the students to learn about 36 of them in a brief time. Leaving no stone unturned, the students gave presentations on Saint Paul, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Valentine, Saint Pope John Paul II, Saint Patrick, Saint Peter, Saint Mary, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Joseph, Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Faustina, Saint Agnes of Rome, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Juan Diego, Saint Nicholas, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint John Bosco, Saint Damien, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint Bernadette, Saint Maria Goretti, Saint Philomena, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Nicholas, Saint Damien, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Albert the Great, Saint Genevieve, Saint Cecilia, Saint Scholastica, and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.
Exploring the lives of saints is among the various methods used by Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Newark to encourage students to cultivate a spirit of prayer, worship, and apostolic service. Catholics globally seek grace and closeness to God by praying to saints for intercession and studying their lives and teachings. By learning about, praying to, and emulating the lives of saints, as well as through intercessory prayers, students can attain a deeper connection to God.
“I always remind [the students] that the saints are people they want to model their lives after,” O’Connor said.
At Saint Francis Academy in Union City, students in the third grade also recently completed research projects on the lives of various saints. This annual project, dubbed the “We are the Saints,” is now in its seventh year at St. Francis Academy. The assignment aims to educate and inspire students about the lives of the saints, according to school principal Deborah Savage.
Twenty-nine students participated in the project, which included hosting a prayer service attended by fellow students and family members. The students dressed as saints, gave an oral report on their research, and then prayed for the intercession of the saints.
Savage said that the project enables cross-curricular learning in both language arts and religious studies, and provides the students with the opportunity to explore the 3rd grade religion curriculum in a fun and artistic manner.
The students also created biographical “bottle buddies” which were displayed around the school. The bottle buddies are made from recycled water and soda bottles and filled with sand to weigh them down. Then, students glue a Styrofoam “head” to the bottles and decorate the head and body to resemble a chosen saint.
Featured image: Third grader Nyssa from Our Lady of Częstochowa School in Jersey City dressed up as Saint Elizabeth of Hungary for the annual “We Are the Saints” project.
