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Lent:
Students learn more about faith

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
(Email Katie)

Praying the rosary and collecting money for charities are a couple of things students in the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City are doing for Lent.

Students at Sacred Heart School in Boone gather in the gym each Monday to pray the rosary. The fifth through eighth graders have taken turns leading the rosary for all of the students.

Each Friday, students gather at the church for the Stations of the Cross. Students in third through eighth grade have memorized the Stations of the Cross, so that they can pray the stations in the silence of their own homes, said Duane Siepker, principal at Sacred Heart School.

In addition the students have been participating with their families in Rice Bowl.

“Participation in the Rice Bowl is a parish-wide Lenten activity and our young people have been involved through the parish/their family by giving up that candy bar or pop or movie and donating the cost of such into the Rice Bowl,” said Siepker.

Bringing parables to life
The sixth through eighth graders at Mater Dei-Nativity Center in Sioux City recently presented “State Road 47,” a Lenten musical reflection based on three parables of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke that happened “along the road.”

The parables of the Sower and the Seed, the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son were retold with characters and music. Sixteen students played parts and the rest of the students were part of the ensemble.

“Since our theme all year has been The Great Adventure, it just seemed fitting that we would use this as part of a Lenten reflection project,” said Julie Tebbe, director of faith formation for Mater Dei. “It was a presentation that people of all ages could enjoy and gain something from being there.”

The elementary students at the Immaculate Conception Center participated in a unity day. The students are in color groups – cotton candy pink, algae green, ocean blue. The groups are made up of students from different grades. The topic was diversity and acceptance of uniqueness.

“We shared about how our words can sometimes hurt others,” said Tebbe. “In this season of Lent, we really have to look at how we use our words and use them to build each other up.”

The IC Center students are also attending Stations of the Cross each week. At the Nativity Center, the students reenact the stations in a contemporary way.

Students at both centers have donated money to purchase Easter baskets for children at the Boys and Girls Home.

“The almsgiving allows us to channel the resources that we do have to help those who are less fortunate than we are. We are blessed in our church to have a season to focus on those things,” said Tebbe.

God’s love
Five teachers at Sacred Heart School in Spencer planned activities and services for the students. Their Lenten focus was inspired by the book “God’s Great Big Love for Me” by Max Lucado.

Along with the book, there is a set of colorful beads – black, red, white, blue, green and yellow – that will be made into a bracelet. Each week of Lent is centered on a different color and what it has to do with Jesus, said Karen Conlon, first grade teacher at Sacred Heart.

“It was something very simple, yet very powerful,” said Conlon. “We wanted to give the teachers the opportunity to take things slow and share this story and talk about God’s love for us. Each color tells you something about Jesus.”

At the beginning of Lent, each student wrote a Lenten goal on a piece of paper – something for the good of others. These were placed in a basket at the base of a cross displayed in the school. A jar is also placed there for coin donations to purchase grocery certificates for people in need.

“It is a good way to show the students it is a special time of year,” said Conlon. “It is a time when we are getting ready for Easter and the resurrection of Jesus.”

Each class has gone to the church and participated in the Stations of the Cross or talked about the stations in their classroom.

The students will end Lent with a living rosary on April 8, before leaving for Easter break.

Other happenings
St. Patrick’s School in Sheldon will present their annual passion play on April 6 at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Church.

The play is put on by the second, third and fourth grade classes. Brandon Winkel will portray Jesus and Dakota Peters and Philip Cain will play soldiers.

At St. Edmond School in Fort Dodge, the respect life group and SE Angels are co-sponsoring a 24-hour Adoration for students and parents in the school chapel.  It will begin on April 3 at 8 a.m. and end on April 4 with Benediction at 7:45 a.m.  Father Brad Pelzel was asked to be a special guest for the event and lead prayers. 

Teachers will be able to share chapel time with their classes during school hours, or students could sign up for individual hours. Students, parents and faculty will share times throughout the night.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed at 8 p.m. and "The Passion of the Christ" movie will be shown at 9 p.m. in the library.  Although there is no designated focus for the 24 hours, everyone is encouraged to pray for the 40 days of Life and to fill our hearts with love and forgiveness for Easter.

The students will attend Stations of the Cross, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and go to confession, said Mary Lynn Biggins, development director at St. Edmond’s.

The elementary students are focusing on prayer during Lent. They are collecting money in Lenten banks to be donated to charities - most going to the parish food bank, said Biggins.

At Kuemper High School in Carroll, students have participated in Eucharistic adoration and benediction.  Singing by the choirs enriched the experience even more, noted Kathryn Braddy, theology teacher and director of campus ministry at Kuemper.

A special Youth Mass was held in the Kuemper High School gym on the 4th Sunday of Lent featuring spiritual meditative dance and contemporary music.

A survivor from the Von Maur shooting in Omaha talked to the students about forgiveness before they attended reconciliation.

The students participated in Stations of the Cross with freshman through seniors carrying the cross to the stations with a media presentation showing Christ's suffering and then suffering in the world right now.

Other schools in the diocese are also providing activities and prayer services for students during the Lenten season.