By Katherine Long, Editor
The spirit of Christmas shone brightly Dec. 1 as freshmen from Bishop Ludden Jr./Sr. High School visited the elementary students at Cathedral Academy at Pompei to work on a service project together.
The visit was part of Ludden’s annual ninth grade retreat day, and the fourth year Ludden had teamed up with CAP for the service portion of the day, according to Ludden Campus Minister Amanda Webster. For this year’s project, Ludden students partnered with CAP students to create and decorate Christmas tree-shaped door tags. The tags will be distributed to those who are homebound by Sister Elizabeth Lennon, MFIC, Webster explained.
The theme of the day’s retreat was discipleship, Webster said, and “by doing a community service project, we’re showing how to be disciples of Christ.”
“My hope is that they [the Ludden students] recognize that we can all do service” regardless of age, Webster said. She also hoped the students would recognize their God-given gifts and know that they could be disciples to the CAP students, to those who are homebound, and “to anybody that we encounter along our journey,” she added.
For Sister Helen Ann Charlebois, IHM, CAP principal, the collaboration and interaction between the students is key. “The big kids get to see where they’ve come from — we forget how long it takes to learn some of these skills. So the big kids are seeing where the little kids are now, and the little kids are looking up to these big kids, knowing someday that’s going to be them,” she said.
Some of the students’ finished door tags. (Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright)
In the foreground, Jayleana Bowman and Emily Monroe work on their door tag. (Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright)
Kwame Winwah and Asimwe Kabulete show off their finished pieces. (Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright)
Saharra Jennings and Ajahnik Brown at work on their door tag. (Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright)
