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Denver school’s annual rally builds community while deepening faith
By Julie Filby
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Bishop James Conley poses with altar servers who assisted at a Mass for St. Vincent de Paul School’s annual Faith Rally Dec. 8. Altar servers are, from left, Joshua Van Bramer, Jacob Flynn, Michael Lemming, Leo McCabe and Jack Kail. With the exception of sixth-grader Lemming, the boys are in fifth grade. |
On Dec. 8 St. Vincent de Paul School in Denver transformed their gym into an adoration chapel, complete with a seven-tier altar and faux stained glass windows, as part of their fifth annual Faith Rally.
More than 400 students, kindergarten through eighth grade, came together for the day to pray, learn about their faith and have fun. Held on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the theme this year was Mary and the Eucharist.
“Adoration is always included,” explained Principal Dominican Sister Maria Ivana Begovic. “The theme focused on the school’s scripture theme for the year: “Remain in My love,” the Lord’s words at the Last Supper … and we chose a Marian theme because Our Lady is always bringing us to Jesus.”
Students were organized into communities of two or three from each grade then designated with a Marian title. Two eighth-grade students taught each community about various titles for Mary, fruits of the Holy Spirit and eucharistic adoration.
Eighth-grader Ryan Maxfield led a community named “Queen of All Saints.” It’s a role he looked forward to as a participant in past rallies.
“Each year you look up to the leaders and it was fun to get to do that this year,” he said. “We spent a lot of time preparing during religion class.”
He said his favorite events of the day were adoration and meeting the younger students.
Students helped transform the gym into a chapel by creating paper “stained-glass” windows in art class and attaching them to the windows in the gym. The altar, topped with a monstrance, was flanked with poinsettias, a statue of Mary and more than 70 candles.
“We called it the burning bush ... because of the candles,” said third-grader Gabi Dani. “Then we put the monstrance on the top shelf and we had mats to sit or kneel down on.”
She explained that they sang songs and prayed and “all that stuff” to show their adoration to God.
A highlight of her day was “seeing the bishop,” she said. Bishop James D. Conley, apostolic administrator of the Denver Archdiocese, celebrated Mass at the rally for the fourth consecutive year.
In addition to Mass and adoration, the communities prayed a decade of the rosary together and participated in catechesis, art projects and ice-breaker games to get to know each other better.
“We all got to know students in other grades and make new friendships,” said eighth-grader Megan Tartell, student council president. “We learned about our faith and grew in it as a community.
“Everyone enjoyed the day and is looking forward to next year.”
Sister Maria Ivana described the Faith Rally as a “real gift” to students.
“It’s a grace-filled opportunity for students to come together and celebrate their faith,” she said. “To show it’s really alive and that they hold the Lord Jesus close to their hearts … and to deepen their love for him.”
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