Summer Saint School

By Gail Wingert

Bright T-shirt bedecked students filled almost every corner of the building and overflowed into the parking lot as they participated in “Summer Saint School” on June 10-13, 2024, held at St. Therese Parish. 

A Scripture verse, music, and sign language engaged students before they met a new saint each day.  The Church Station toured building spaces with stops to learn about saint-related concepts, devotions, or artworks, like the Infant of Prague and the Holy Face or an altar depicting the Last Supper.  The game station reinforced the concepts with related, cooperative, large muscle activities.  Craft projects continued to support the Scripture, Saints, and concepts.  For example, this year, the creation of a set of sacrifice beads like St. Therese used in her devoted preparation for First Communion also highlighted her “Little Way” as students learned about the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist.

While a final Mass has always been a part of the week, this year’s Eucharistic Revival inspired the organizers to add a group prayer experience each day.  Youth participated in a living rosary, an Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and a Eucharistic Procession as part of the “Catholic” packed program.

Saint John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio, n. 3 declared, “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”

A group of faithful Catholics took this call seriously when they decided to write their own curriculum over twenty years ago for what was originally referred to as Vacation Bible School.  The renamed “Summer Saint School” focuses on the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith. 

Summer Saint School has reached over 100 preschool to high school participants each year, with students of nine parishes, from Hot Springs to Piedmont.  This has been possible because of the volunteer leaders and assistants for the table groups, stations, snacks, and music, as well as the separate kindergarten, preschool, and staff nursery. 

For all these years, proclaiming the Good News in an inspiring, creative, and fun way has been the mission of Summer Saint School. Thanks to the generosity of St. Therese parish, this mission was able to continue this summer.