Speaking Presentation & Pilgrim Visitation, 10/7/2011: St. Anthony of Padua School, Kailua

Today, on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, I was invited by the faculty of St. Anthony of Padua School in my Kailua parish, to speak to their student body about the significance of the Blessed Mother and the Holy Rosary. So this morning, I conducted three separate presentations to students of different age groups... sharing with them about the Church's devotion to Mary, the origin and significance of the Rosary Devotion, as well as introducing the children to the lives and relics of a few "Rosary Saints": St. Bernadette of Lourdes, Bl. Bartolo Longo, and Blesseds Francisco and Jacinta Marto of Fatima.

  

The much younger students - Kindergarten

through 2nd Graders - were well- behaved

and displayed interest in the pictures I

showed them in my slideshow.

The presentations were tailored to the suit the different age groups, but all three appeared to have been well-received by the students and teachers. I was most surprised by the enthusiasm shown by the Kindergartent to 2nd Grade students who were very engaged and responsive to my questions.  The look of awe on all the children's faces when they viewed my pilgrim statue and the holy relics up close was also priceless. 

  

The second group of students - 3rd to 5th

Graders - also displayed interest in the

presentation and Our Lady's statue and the

relics received well-deserved attention.

It was later shared with me by one of the teachers that another teacher had reported seeing a glow - an "aura" - around the Blessed Mother's pilgrim statue. Perhaps it was a small confirmation from Our Lady that she was present in a special way with the precious little children.  Ave Maria!

The lives of a few "Rosary Saints" were

also shared with students of various ages,

and after the talk, they were invited

to view their respective relics up close.