Diocese of Wilmington schools put service at forefront of Catholic Schools Week celebration
By Mike Lang, Dialog Reporter
Catholic Schools Week in the Diocese of Wilmington took on a new look in 2021 thanks to a few factors. Coronavirus-related restrictions has many students in school only part-time, and CSW staples such as grandparents’ day are not possible when visitors can’t enter the buildings. On top of that, snow in the northern part of the diocese meant schools were not open for anyone on Feb. 1 and 2.
Those situations, however, did not alter the resolve of students around the diocese to help their communities. Here is a look at service projects at four Catholic elementary schools.
At St. Peter the Apostle School in New Castle, the third grade collected toiletries for the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Delaware National Guard. The items were brought to the school during Catholic Schools Week, and they were packaged the next week.
Third-grade teacher Lori Watts said several organizations were considered, but at the suggestion of principal Mark Zitz, they went with the Little Sisters. The Jeanne Jugan Residence listed items of need during the pandemic, and St. Peter’s responded. The school has several students with family members serving in the National Guard, which made them an easy choice.
“It’s important that Catholic school students learn the lessons of charity as a step toward social justice,” principal Patrick Tiernan said. “By building awareness, we all come to a deeper understanding of what it means to build the Kingdom of God.”
Catholic Schools Week