Saint Vincent de Paul School honors patron saint with week of service

By Special to the Intermountain Catholic

SALT LAKE CITY — Saint Vincent de Paul School participated in a week of service Sept. 24-30 to honor its patron saint.

Service opportunities were set up and coordinated by the Saint Vincent School Board’s Faith Formation Committee during the saint’s feast week. On Saint Vincent de Paul’s feast day, Sept. 27, the students took up a collection at the school Mass to support the Saint Vincent de Paul dining hall in Salt Lake City, and put together “socks of love” (athletic socks filled with toiletries) for the homeless.

“This is the first year Saint Vincent School has participated in a week of service; all focused on our patron saint,” said Kara Haney who headed up the project. “We wanted to bring awareness to the students and their families of ways to help in the community. A lot of families at the school are so supportive of our school community, so we wanted to focus on more opportunities to serve in the religious community, helping other families and serving the community as a whole.”

Other service activities promoted by the school for participation by students and family that week included cleaning up the Carmelite monastery grounds in Holladay, cooking dinner at the Ronald McDonald House to help families who have children at Primary Children’s Hospital, making sandwiches at the parish for the homeless, and doing service projects for others in their own neighborhoods.

“My experience at the Ronald McDonald house was fabulous. It is a beautiful facility, and I got to meet some wonderful people that were experiencing a hard time,” said parent volunteer Eleni Billick. “I loved watching our little boys eager to cook and help out in the kitchen as well as play with the kids that are residents. It was a very special day, and I hope to do it again.”

Students also enjoyed the activities. “We are here to help the children who are in the hospital. I enjoyed putting soup in the bowls,” said third-grader Madeline Shragge.

The students and parents discovered that joining in Saint Vincent’s charism of helping others is the best way to celebrate his feast day.

Courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul School