By Dc. Tom Cuskey
Editor
“What I did on my summer vacation.”
As I recall through my ever-fading memory, I think I actually once had to write a back-to-school paper on this infamous topic. Times have changed.
Instead of looking back, the students at Blessed Sacrament School in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood are looking ahead by dedicating the 2024-25 academic year to the Blessed Mother.
“It will be the year of the Rosary at Blessed Sacrament school,” principal Lisa Coppola said. “She [the Blessed Mother] is our guide. She is our exemplar of behavior and love towards others.”
The opening day prayer service at the school was a recitation of the Living Rosary where the students gathered in the gym and fell-in to form a Rosary-shaped group. Students took turns leading the entire group in the prayers.
Leading the group, alongside Mrs. Coppola, was Nicholas Cacchione, the school’s physical education teacher and Rosary-instructor extraordinaire. Cacchione teaches the prayers, yes, but also gives an explanation of the mysteries – the Glorious Mysteries on the day we visited – and the foundational faith the Rosary represents.
“I think I’m a religion teacher,” Cacchione quipped, but in reality, he is, at least during these opening weeks of school.
“We will be doing a decade of the Rosary every day, explaining all the different mysteries beginning week one through four,” Coppola said. “At the end of week five, we will have said five Rosaries in total.”
Coppola and the staff in attendance this day all exuded high levels of energy.
“Mr. Cacchione, who is devoted to the Blessed Mother as I am, will be leading us off,” she shared. “We start with our morning offering and then turn to Mary for our prayer of the day. Yeah, we’re excited!”
