Faith in Action program helps St. Peter Kirkwood students discover service through lens of Catholic social teaching

Faith in Action initiative is a 13-year tradition for students at St. Peter in Kirkwood
Catholic Schools Week
National Catholic Schools Week is the celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It is typically held the last week of January — this year it will be observed Jan. 26-Feb. 1. Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and around the country observe the week with Masses, assemblies and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members to celebrate the great work and good news of Catholic schools. To learn more about Catholic Schools Week, visit www.ncea.org/csw.
Amelia Van Cleave wasn’t sure what to expect the first time she visited the soup kitchen at the Missionaries of Charity. But at the end of a day of service with fellow eighth graders from St. Peter School in Kirkwood, Amelia discovered the God-given dignity in those she served.
Students helped prepare the food and were invited to help out in the serving line. That’s where Amelia and her classmates encountered visitors seeking a nourishing meal and a comfortable place to briefly rest and pray with the sisters.

“I don’t know if I was expecting to actually get to talk to them,” Amelia said. “So as they came, we were talking and stuff … like, ‘How’s your day going? And how are you?’”
Eighth graders have been taking turns visiting the Missionaries of Charity in small groups. It’s an example of Faith in Action, a schoolwide initiative that started at St. Peter 13 years ago to help students view their service through the lens of Catholic social teaching — and to see the face of Jesus in others.
Throughout the school year students perform acts of service within a theme assigned to each grade level: kindergarten, the hands of Jesus; first grade, the environment; second grade, the elderly; third grade, the hungry; fourth grade, veterans; fifth grade, babies and children; sixth grade, people who are homeless; seventh grade, people with disabilities; and eighth grade focuses on the broad theme of social justice.
Projects have included making holiday cards for children who are undergoing cancer treatment, volunteering at an adaptive triathlon for children with movement disabilities, organizing Masses with different themes such as Veterans Day and Respect Life, stocking non-perishable food items in a neighborhood Blessing Box, visiting with residents of a retirement home and raking leaves for older parishioners and others in the community.
In the midst of their service, students also have discussions in the classroom and write in a journal that follows them from kindergarten through their eighth-grade year. By the time they reach eighth grade, students are asked to research service opportunities at their future high schools. They also write themselves a letter, which they will receive when they’re in high school to encourage them to continue their service to others.
Anne Loyda, St. Peter’s coordinator of religious education who started Faith in Action with school parents Anne LaBarge and Natalie Orlando 13 years ago, said that service isn’t just about doing a kind deed for others.

While recently giving a school tour, an eighth grader told visitors, “You know, we spend many years learning about Jesus. But this gives us an opportunity to be Jesus to others,” Loyda recalled. “That’s really what this is about … our faith calls us to be disciples. And in order to be disciples of Jesus, we’ve got the Catholic social teaching principles.”
The foundation of all social teaching principles is recognizing the dignity of others, Loyda said, adding that students have gained an appreciation for that principle throughout their time at school.
“I think at first, maybe we started out as we’re doing this nice thing” for others, she said. “But now we’re looking at it as honoring them as equal members of the Body of Christ.That’s part of honoring their dignity — looking at them as humans first.”
In the fall, second graders visited the homes of older parishioners and other neighbors in Kirkwood to rake leaves and spent part of the time praying and visiting with them. Seventh graders also have volunteered with Special Olympics. “They pair up with their buddies, and they get to know them and hang out with their buddies for the day,” Loyda said. “They love doing that.”
Students have had discussions about their service to understand that everyone deserves “the same dignity and necessities that we need to live,” eighth grader John Stanze said. “Other people shouldn’t be excluded from that.”
John’s classmate Grace Heller added that it’s more than a discussion on equality. “It’s about fairness,” she said. “It’s about everyone getting what they need. So people who go to our school probably wouldn’t need to wait in the line of a food pantry, but some people would. It’s about everyone getting what they need — that’s the justice part.”
Students participate in service activities from kindergarten through eighth grade as they look for the face of Jesus in those they serve
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