This post was contributed by Nicole Ossevoort, the Communications & Social Media Specialist for the Diocese of Syracuse in Syracuse, NY.
Tuesday, February 2nd was a big day across the Diocese of Syracuse!
Day of Service Cathedral Academy at Pompei Syracuse
On that day, 22 schools in four regions across the seven counties of the diocese participated in a day of service in observance of National Catholic Schools Week. The day was called “#MercyExtended: Catholic Schools Day of Service.” Planning began back in the summer at an administrators meeting, where Danielle Cummings, Chancellor and Director of Communications, stood before Catholic school principals and shared her desire to do something different for CSW 2016.
During this Year of Mercy, it is fitting that all of our Catholic schools demonstrate how they are committed to being communities of faith, knowledge and service. The inaugural Catholic Schools Day of Service is one way we are collectively putting our Catholic faith into action by joining together with other community service agencies to help those most in need, Cummings said.
Cummings, who says she is the Catholic school’s “biggest cheerleader,” and Social Media Specialist Nicole Ossevoort would continue to work with administrators to plan the Day of Service. It was no easy feat – planning multiple events at 22 schools across a large geographical area on a single day? It seemed daunting at times.
But the end result was so worth it.
On February 2nd, each school demonstrated perfectly the mission of the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Syracuse: to “carry out the mission of Jesus Christ, bearing witness while proclaiming the Gospel message.” Staff, students, families, and the community came together to extend mercy to those who need it most – a theme which the diocese is focused on throughout the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Each school chose a partner organization, including Catholic Charities, parish food pantries, and even an orphanage in Haiti. At various times throughout the day, school communities gathered together in the cafeteria or gymnasium to stuff baskets, fill bags, make cards, craft handmade Valentine’s, and make sandwiches. Each and every student had an important role to play in the Day of Service. Many schools began or ended the project with prayer.
Day of Service Holy Family School Syracuse
Representatives from the Catholic School Office, including Superintendent William Crist, traveled around the diocese visiting various schools and shared photos and video in real time via social media. Syracuse Catholic Television and the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Sun, also made the rounds, taking video and snapping photos. Some students were eager to share their thoughts on the Day of Service as they worked. One young man at Rome Catholic said that he is “happy to make someone else happy,” as he zipped up a bag of personal hygiene items that would later be donated to the Mission of the Christ Child at St. Peter’s Church in Rome, NY. A student at St. Rose of Lima explained that a “Blizzard Bag” containing non-perishable food items and a handmade note would be delivered to someone who “maybe couldn’t get to the store in the middle of a snow storm!” It was clear that students were proud of their efforts and enthusiastic about doing what they could do help those in need.
National Catholic Schools Week is a time for our Catholic school communities to have some fun and celebrate – but the Diocese of Syracuse #MercyExtended: Catholic Schools Day of Service was an important reminder of who we really are. Superintendent Crist, who visited several schools throughout the Day of Service, said that the day was really “an extension of what happens during the year,” in our schools, but stressed the importance of the day’s sharing our mission of serving others – and extending mercy – with the community at large.
Photos, video, and more from the #MercyExtended: Catholic Schools Day of Service are available on the Catholic School Office – Diocese of Syracuse Facebook page and by following the Diocese of Syracuse on Twitter @SyrDiocese.
Day of Service Bishop Grimes St. Margarets Syracuse
