“In the new year I plan to deepen my faith with God by being kinder to others. Jesus performed many acts of kindness and to follow His will, I should too. Also, I want to pray more often and thank God for always being there and supporting me. A lot of times I often forget to even think of God especially even after He gives me a good education and a nice family. Lastly, I want to go to Mass and receive the Eucharist properly. Sometimes I receive the Eucharist without fully knowing and respecting who I am truly receiving.” -- Julia Palor, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
For the January Junior Saints, schoolchildren throughout the Archdiocese of Washington pondered and then wrote about and drew pictures showing how they will deepen their faith and grow closer to Jesus in the new year.
“I will try to be faithful to God as much as possible, even though it seems hard to. I will do as much as I can." -- Holly Mott, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland Alina Sweeney, eighth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons, Maryland “Every time I go to church I will deeply pray in my heart to Jesus that all the homeless people get food and shelter. I will show an act of real kindness every day. I will also give money to the poor to have a meal. I will help anybody in need. I like complimenting someone and sharing my snack if someone does not have a snack. I will also give someone a ride home on my bike. That's how I will deepen my faith in God this year.” -- Adonay Mekonnen, fourth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C. “I would deepen my faith and grow closer to Jesus by praying... I can help others give and love one another." Sunhee Han, sixth grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland“In the new decade of 2020 I plan to make my family go to church every Sunday. One of the biggest ways to get closer to God is praying, and I think of church like a big prayer with your family, friends, or classmates. You also get to hear the priest talk about God, and you can learn something from that. In church you sing songs to worship God; He deserves worship. I think church is a way for me and my family to get closer to God.” -- Annie Meyers, fourth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C. “I can grow closer to Jesus by altar serving. To me, altar serving helps me to see the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. I get a very good view! This will help me deepen my faith." Leila Gonzales, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland“I will deepen my faith this upcoming year by praying the rosary more often. I believe this will deepen my faith because I am growing closer to God and Mary." -- Sophia Smith, sixth grade, St. Bartholomew School, Bethesda, Maryland “For the new year I am planning to make my faith stronger. By doing this I will have to go to Sunday Mass every week because that brings me closer to God. I will also be thankful for all I have and pray for others who don't have what I have. I should also treat others kindly." -- Olivia Aquino, fifth grade, St. Jane de Chantel School, Bethesda, Maryland “One of the ways that I like to grow in my faith is by praying to God, whether alone or in Mass.” -- Ryan Hickey, third grade, St. John the Baptist School, Silver Spring, Maryland
“I believe that we can always grow in our faith, and we are called to do so. This is why I plan to grow in my faith in 2020 and in all the years to come. I will dedicate more time to Him in prayer and in Mass. I will go to God whenever I need help, and I will thank Him for everything He has done for me.” -- Donovan De La Cruz, seventh grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown, Maryland
“Growing in faith is not just about prayer and Scripture, it is also about actions I say and do. I plan to improve these things, and I will try to do anything I can to become stronger in my faith.” -- Carleigh Watson, seventh grade, St. Mary’s School, Bryantown, Maryland
“There are many ways to deepen my faith and grow closer to God. One of these things is to serve others. In the new year, I look forward to giving back. I’ve realized a lot of kids my age don’t have the opportunities and abilities I do. Giving back to God’s children is a great way of growing in my faith and service. I can’t wait to get started.” -- Kynnedy Wallace, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
