Fun, Faith, and French: Bishop Deeley Visits Holy Cross School in South Portland
SOUTH PORTLAND---“Bishop Deeley, we thank you for the good things that you doooooooo!”
The pre-kindergarteners happily accepted the applause of those who enjoyed their original song welcoming Bishop Robert Deeley to Holy Cross School in South Portland on Wednesday, January 11 (many pictures below).
The bishop visited each classroom at the school during his special visit, taking time to see what the students were working on, enjoying musical performances, and even participating, from discussing federalism with the sixth graders to figuring out equations with the seventh graders to reciting the Lord’s Prayer in French with the fourth graders. Bishop Deeley also took part in a writing workshop with the fifth graders and even picked up some reading to do on his own.
The first graders presented the bishop with a handmade book entitled “A Day in the Life of First Grade!” with each page including a picture and a description showcasing the artistic talents of the students. “We learn about God and Jesus and Mother Mary,” wrote Max.
In third grade, the students gave the bishop a “Blessings Book.” Each student decorated their own page with a colorful drawing and an essay about one of the ways in which they are blessed. “God has given me life to spread kindness,” wrote Elijah.
The pre-kindergarteners prepared a Holy Cross heart for the bishop to take, and the kindergarteners had each made their own New Year’s card for the bishop.
All the students had questions for Bishop Deeley. Many covered the types of things you’d imagine a child to be curious about, including his favorite animal (“Giraffe,” he told the second graders) and his favorite church.
“St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris are beautiful, but how about the people in Frenchville, Maine? They wanted to have a church of their own and they took what they had, timber and nails, and they built a church they could call their own. That beauty and their faith speaks to me more than anything else,” the bishop told the eighth graders.
The bishop appreciated the students asking what was on their minds.
“Why aren’t there girl priests?” asked a fifth grader.
“We all have important things to do to help the Church,” the bishop responded. “The Church believes that since Jesus was a man, the priests, who are representing Jesus, should be men. But in Maine, we have many women in important positions in the Church. Marianne Pelletier is our superintendent, Suzanne Lafreniere is the director of public policy, Sister Rita-Mae is our chancellor, and there are many others. Women are necessary for the life of the Church and have important roles and responsibilities. Here, in a Catholic school, it’s an excellent place to be thinking about what it is that God might be asking you to do.”
During the visit, the bishop was joined by Fr. Jack Dickinson, pastor, and Fr. Alex Boucher, parochial vicar, of St. John Paul II Parish, of which Holy Cross School is a part, and Tim Stebbins, the principal of Holy Cross. Before departing, Bishop Deeley enjoyed lunch with some of the school’s students and staff.
