through a Catholic Foundation grant.
St. Mary’s Catholic School in Greenville is inspiring children to discover Jesus and hear God’s call. Thanks to a Catholic Foundation grant awarded through Advancing the Mission – Lifelong Catechesis, St. Mary’s Catholic School was able to install a Blessed Carlo Acutis Wall in their school.
Blessed Carlo Acutis’ famous “The Eucharist is the highway to Heaven” quote is displayed on the wall, including imagery of the Eucharist, the rosary, and Blessed Carlo himself. Each St. Mary’s teacher spoke with their students about Blessed Carlo’s life and then went and viewed the devotional wall as a class. This wall is impacting our young people and showing them how they can answer God’s call for their lives like Blessed Carlo Acutis.
“Young people in Greenville witness the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis as an example of faith. The Blessed Carlo Acutis Wall helps young people discover Jesus and discern who God calls them to be. By learning about Blessed Carlo, these students reflect on how they can become future saints and also have a strong example of a young person who said “yes” to God’s call. The Catholic Foundation congratulates St. Mary’s Catholic School on receiving this grant, and we look forward to seeing how more students are impacted by this project,” shares Josh Diedrich, Executive Director at the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Green Bay.
Every day, hundreds of students pass this wall and reflect upon on how they, too, can discover Jesus and answer the call God has for them. While the students at St. Mary’s Catholic School see the wall often, many other young children see it as well.
Youth encounter the devotional wall each Wednesday night during Religious Education classes. More young people encounter Jesus through this wall when the school is opened for various events such as the Catholic Schools Week Open House, 8th grade graduation, and more. So far, more than 535 young people have seen this wall and had the chance to discover Jesus thanks to Blessed Carlo.
“Our young people need someone to look up to and see an example on how to become a saint for their generation. Thanks to this Catholic Foundation grant, the school and religious education students see how they can encounter Jesus through the Eucharist and how they can become the disciples they are meant to be,” says Fr. Michael Warden, Pastor at St. Mary’s Catholic School and Parish in Greenville.
The timing of this wall is perfect: just months after the wall’s completion, the Vatican announced Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonized to the sainthood. He will continue to be a great source of relatability and connection for our youth as they welcome Jesus into their hearts and grow closer to Him through the Eucharist.
The Catholic Foundation congratulates St. Mary’s Catholic School for being a grant recipient, and we thank this school for helping our young people encounter Jesus.