To mark the season of Lent, students in the Archdiocese of Washington were invited to submit drawings and writings for the Catholic Standard's Junior Saints section, about how they planned to draw closer to Jesus during Lent. During the first four weeks of Lent, the Junior Saints feature on the Catholic Standard's website has highlighted four installments of students’ writings and drawings on that topic, continuing this week with part four of that series, featuring drawings and writings by students from St. Pius X Regional School in Bowie, Maryland.)
Drawing by Ola Are, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“During this Lent, I want to get closer to Jesus by reading my Bible to continue growing spiritually. I will be praying every day especially for all the people that are sick and in need during this pandemic. I want Jesus to heal the world and provide for all our needs. I will also pray for all my family, friends and teachers for God to protect them and keep them safe. I will be more obedient to my parents. I also plan to give warm clothing and food to the homeless.” – Ola Are, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“There are so many ways I could get closer to the Lord, but I choose to start giving and helping people to get closer to Jesus. I’ve chosen this because last year was a really tough year to begin with. People have lost their jobs, lost their homes, etc. I think giving and helping will make me feel like a good person. During Lent, I want to start off by helping others in my neighborhood by doing small things like walking their pets, babysitting and cutting the grass. Some other things I can do is donating food to a food drive, donating coats to a coat drive and donating toys to Toys for Tots.” – Patti Smith, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Dasia Gumapac, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“During this Lent, I will get closer to Jesus by reflecting more during Mass and my family rosary prayers. I will try to talk to God more and pray that I will grow my friendship with Jesus, and also ask for help from the people around me. I will start to focus more on my faith this Lent and limit some of my everyday activities such as going on my phone or watching a show and take that time to pray to God.” – Dasia Gumapac, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“For this year’s Lent, I plan to give up on negative thinking and turn to Jesus when I need help. I feel this will help me get closer to him, because instead of leaving myself to think pessimistically, I can just turn around and pray to Jesus. With Covid and virtual classes, the school year hasn’t been the best for me. Instead of thinking negatively, I can pray to Jesus and strengthen our relationship.” – Sarah-Maelle Iku, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Evania Nikodimos, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“I plan to get closer to Jesus during Lent by being kinder and more helpful. I want to do that through Jesus and act like him the whole year, and for the rest of my life, too. I also plan to pray every night before I go to bed so I can get closer to Jesus. I want to do everything I can to get closer to Christ, and be like him, too.” – Evania Nikodimos, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“I will get closer to Jesus this month by spending more time praying. Instead of doing whatever, I will be fasting. I think Lent is an important time to get ourselves right with God. I think sometimes we take Jesus dying for our sins for granted, because we’ve been hearing it all our lives. I think that we should all just take a second to recognize that, wow, someone loved me enough to die for my sins.” – Peter Onumah, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Chukwuma Anaele, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“This Lent, I want to get closer to Jesus through prayer. I can pray to Jesus when I need to talk to him for advice. I can pray to the Lord when I am troubled and when I am lost. When I am in need of guidance, I look to him. If I pray to him more, I can connect to Jesus.” – Chukwuma Anaele, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“I will get closer to Jesus by praying every day, and praying for each other during these hard times. I will also read the Bible and volunteer at homeless shelters and make sure that the people on the front line feel appreciated. This is important for me to do, because God has been so good to me and my family, that I should do something for others. Showing thanks can come in many forms, but this is the way I want to show my thanks.” – Morgan Bragg, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Julian Righi, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“This Lent I want to get closer to Jesus. I want to fully be able to understand his word and spread it to others. Some of the ways I could do that would be to play less video games, read the Bible more, (and) help others that are not just my family... I could also go to Confession more often. This year I want to make sure that I get closer to Christ.” – Julian Righi, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“This Lent, I am going to come closer to God by praying the rosary at least one time a day (morning or night). My mom does her rosary every 3 o’clock, so I might join her once and do it by myself after I see her do it. I think it will be pretty easy, because I have prayed the rosary more than once before.” – Priscilla Nwagbo, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Samiyah Williams, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“During Lent season, I will focus on praying more so that I can get closer to Jesus. Praying helps me to build up my confidence, trust and hope. I will also read daily devotionals and my Bible. This will also help me to draw closer to Jesus. I will try fasting for the very first time as well. For almsgiving, I will donate clothes to charity. It is important to give to those in need. My goal is to increase my trust, faith and hope and become more Christ-like.” – Samiyah Williams, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“Usually during Lent, I break my promise to give something up within the first few days. I convince myself that it’s too late to restart, and that I can give up something easier, or wait until next year. This year, I’ll try my best to stick to my promises. If I make a mistake, I’ll keep going and move forward more cautiously. I’ll also limit my screen time and spend more time with my family. If I ever feel like something’s unfair, I’ll remember that Jesus died on the cross to save us.” – Allison Bogley, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Giselle Falcon, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“This Lent I will get closer to God by helping people in need. A lot of people need help because of COVID-19 and losing their jobs. Since many people lost their jobs, they struggle to get food. I can help them by buying and delivering food to them. Getting them food can help them survive. Everyone deserves to live out their lives to the fullest extent.” – Aiden Bridgemohan, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Aliyah Thompson, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“For Lent this year, I plan to start praying more. I haven’t been praying like I should. I also want to start fasting as well. I want to be as strong as Jesus and let my faith protect me from all evil. I will also try to go to some online Masses on Sundays. It’s not really possible to go to Masses during Covid, so this is the best option that I believe will help me grow closer to God. By the end of Lent, I wish to have grown in spirit and in faith through my love for God the Father.” – Aliyah Thompson, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“During the season of Lent, I try to pray the most and grow closer to Jesus, Mary, God and the Holy Spirit as much as I can. Sometimes my family and I do a prayer huddle in the morning where we all sit down and pray together. I think it’s a great way for all of us to connect. I try to watch Mass in my free time or when I’m feeling down.” – Nicholas Brown, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Isabella Sweeney, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“To get closer to Jesus during Lent, I will be putting up bird houses for my silver award. My friend and I are in Girl Scouts and have teamed up to make bird houses and dedicated areas for animals to live. We will be making and painting each bird house ourselves without any help. We have been getting ready to do this for the past few months. We just need to get the idea approved, then we will start building, then finding the proper area to do this for the animals.” – Isabella Sweeney, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“During Lent I will cancel out everything that is separating me from praising the Lord, such as I will cut down on video games. I will also try my hardest to cancel out stuff like watching television for longer than I should.” – Julian Jones, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“After Lent is over, I plan to be a better person. With Jesus helping me, I know that I can do anything that I put my mind to. Jesus has always helped me, and I want to return the favor.” – Braydon Lewis, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Matthew Calabrese, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“This Lent, I will be giving up Skittles. Instead of eating candy, I will focus on praying more. Praying more can help me get closer to God. I will pray every day, in the morning, afternoon and before I eat. Besides that, I will also be more focused when I watch Mass online. I have to take Mass and prayer more seriously. I have to show more love to Jesus and God the Father. I will pay attention and participate more in my religion class.” – Moe Lonergan, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Jewel Moore, 7th grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“This Lent, I will get closer to Jesus by continuing to ready my Bible. So I can build a stronger relationship with Him, I will do a daily Bible study. I will continue to pray and honor him with love.” – Jewel Moore, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“During this Lent, I want to get closer to Jesus by praying at home more. I need to make more time for Jesus… By being closer to Jesus, I will feel complete.” – Jayden White, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Sharon Dinh, 8th grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“How I want to get closer to Jesus is by talking to him by praying. Jesus loves us no matter what problems we have. We can tell him what’s going on in our lives. He is always there for us and wants what is best for us. We should go to him whenever we feel closer to him. He is always listening to us and loves us. By praying to him and God, we are asking for the answers to our questions.” – Sharon Dinh, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“During Lent this year, I can get closer to Jesus by spending less time on my phone and spend more time in prayer. I can also get closer to Jesus by helping out around the house…” – Leah Bryant, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Brooke Sylvestre, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“I feel like there are many ways for us to get closer to God. I don’t think we should become closer to God just for Lent, but always. I feel that if we pray, we are letting God into our personal feelings and getting to know him better. If we help others, we are basically helping God. If we teach others about God, we are bringing not only ourselves but others closer to the most wonderful thing ever.” – Brooke Sylvestre, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“This Lent, I will try to pray more. This pandemic has been stressful. Praying is a good way to help with stress. Even if you don’t pray, you could always meditate. I find that praying is a great way to stay calm. It’s very therapeutic to pray and have a conversation with God. So this Lent I will try to pray more.” – Celia Wills, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Nile Randolph, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“This Lent, I can become closer to Jesus by praying more and trusting him completely. Lent is a time of waiting for Jesus’s death on the cross and his rising from the dead. In anticipation for Easter, I can do more community service and be more active at my church. I can also read more Scripture, especially the New Testament, which paints a picture of Jesus’s life and the mysteries of the rosary.” – Nile Randolph, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“This year for Lent, I plan on studying a saint each of the 40 days of Lent. I am also going to make sure I devote five minutes each morning, lunch and evening to pray, thanking God for his goodness and to help guide me to do what is right. I will be giving up eating any candy during Lent. I think that by spending time in prayer, studying saints and giving up something I love (candy), this will draw me closer to Jesus and understanding his word.” – Kyle McCrary, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Jordyn Cabellon, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
“I will get closer to Jesus this Lent by trying my best to improve my religious habits such as going to church more often, praying more often and prioritizing my faith over other things. Recently, I’ve been feeling detached from my faith, and I want to try to reform the connections I had with it. I will try my best to pray more and try to manage my time better when it comes to faith. I will be better when it comes to making more time for God since He is the most important thing.” – Jordyn Cabellon, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“This Lent, I will strive to deepen my relationship with God. Even though the times we are living in are hard, I will do my best to do so. During these four weeks I will continue to pray and spread God’s word. Sometimes we sin and our relationships with God seem far, but as long as we repent, he shows mercy for us. We should always try to follow God’s word even when it seems hard, because there’s only one true goal, heaven.” – Donovan Murph, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“I will at least try to get close to God as much as possible by praying every day throughout the day...” – Cameron Walls, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“For this Lent, I have decided I am going to pray, go to church with a mask and read the Bible more to get closer to Jesus. Reading passages from the Bible can help me learn more about Jesus and His teachings and how He helped others. Praying can help me speak to God and strengthen my relationship with him. Going to church can allow me to strengthen my connection with God through my participation...” – Danielle Nunyi, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Kadoh Bangu, 7th grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“This Lent, I want to be more faithful to God. I would pray morning and night and read my Bible every day, but I just want to have a really strong relationship. So what I want to do is to be patient and wait for God’s voice to speak to me during my prayers. I believe that if I wait and just stay silent without any distractions, I will hear God’s voice…” – Kadoh Bangu, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
“Currently we are going through a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop praying to God. We should still be praying and talking to God. That is why what I will do (for Lent) is normalize talking to God daily. Before the pandemic I would just keep saying I would do it later, but now I have a little more free time, (and) I will definitely make sure to talk to God.” – Douglas Ray, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie
Drawing by Allison Bogley, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland
March Junior Saints
For the Catholic Standard's March Junior Saints to mark the Year of St. Joseph in the Catholic Church proclaimed by Pope Francis, students are invited to draw a picture of St. Joseph and write about what they admire about him, or to draw a picture and write about a “good Joe” they know, a Joseph or Joe or Joey or Josephine in their families or among their friends. The drawings and writings should be emailed to mark@cathstan.org by March 13 to Mark Zimmermann, the Catholic Standard's editor, and they should include the name, grade and school or parish of the student printed clearly.
