c at h o l i c pa r i s h
Catholic Community Stude
Sharing Gifts through Se
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s adults, we recognize stewardship as giving our time, talent, and treasure. But when we explain that to children, we may have to break it down a bit. This school year, the students at Corpus Christi Catholic Community are receiving real-life lessons in giving of their time, talent, and treasure through service projects that benefit Catholic Charities and other local organizations. “Our primary mission as a ministry of the church is to create disciples of Jesus,” says Principal Kirsten Wondra. “We are actively in the business of helping children develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” Fr. Jerry Volz first had the idea to connect with Catholic Charities and see what support the school could offer. An August 2021 meeting with Mrs. Wondra, Fr. Jerry, Vice Principal Brian McCaffrey, and Catholic Charities led to a project for each grade level. Annette Bentzinger, Catholic Charities outreach coordinator, had many ideas to fulfill the organization’s needs. The school tied each project back to a virtue. This is the first time the school has worked with Catholic
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First-grade students packed 560 sack lunches for Corita’s Corner Sandwich Ministry in Topeka.
Charities to identify needs and fill them, thanks to the support of the students and their families. To fulfill the virtue of kindness, first-grade students collected items for sack lunches and packaged everything for distribution to Corita’s Corner Sandwich Ministry. In all, they packaged 560 lunches. The seventh-grade students focused on self-control by participating in a November poverty simulation. Kindergarten students learned gentleness and dignity by collecting
toilet paper and plastic grocery sacks, and they packaged the toilet paper into bags of three rolls. The other grades are working on projects as the school year continues. “We talk about stewardship a lot,” Mrs. Wondra says. “We are a stewardship school, which means we are actively supported by every member of the parish. That level of support is inspiring for the staff, parents, and students. The teachers do a wonderful job of teaching and reinforcing the
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“Students learn about their faith, they learn through the faith, and they practice their faith every day. The fellowship and faith they nurture here at Corpus Christi, even if they stray from the path as they grow into adults, will stand as that foundation from which they can draw strength.” — Kirsten Wondra, Principal
