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 will highlight four installments of students’ writings and drawings on that topic, continuing this week with part three of that series, featuring submissions from several Catholic schools and parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington.)
“This year for Lent, I want to pray more and be a lot more attentive in school Masses. Praying more often will help me become closer to God. I want to be more attentive in Mass, because Mass is another way to get closer to God. I feel like during this pandemic the time I would have spent praying or at Mass has decreased. I hope that I can fulfill these goals this Lent and maybe pray even more than I used to.” – Violet Klasko, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
Drawing by Lexi Centeno, fifth grade religious education, Ascension Parish, Bowie, Maryland
“This Lent, I will fast with Jesus just like he did for those 40 days. I will pray every day, and I will do all I can to be like Jesus. I will also love Him very much. He is the best person in the world!!!” – Mark Centeno, fourth grade religious education, Ascension Parish, Bowie, Maryland
Drawing by Kendall Fulton, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“I will draw closer to Jesus this Lent by going to church more. I will also give up soda and drink more water… I will try to be more respectful to my parents.” – Kendall Fulton, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons, Maryland
Drawing by Lena Herman, fifth grade, St. Ambrose Catholic School, Cheverly, Maryland
“During Lent this year I want to draw closer to Jesus by helping others more. I want to help more around the house and try to be nicer to others instead of just thinking about what I want. Other than that I want to pray more. I mean, I pray at meals, at night and in the morning, but I should be praying more. I think helping others, praying more, and just being nicer will help me draw closer to God.” – Haley Hermann, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“The way I will grow close to God this Lent is giving up my iPad. I have had my iPad for only a couple of months. I have lots of games on it that are very fun. That is how I am going to grow closer to God.” – Sam Hough, seventh grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons, Maryland
Drawing by Daniel DiBonaventuro, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“During Lent, I will grow closer to Jesus by giving up desserts. Jesus made so many sacrifices for us, so why can’t we do the same? Every night when I do not eat dessert, I think of God and also get a bit skinnier.” – Sean McHugh, eighth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons, Maryland
“I think I could get closer to God by praying more during the day. I only pray to God at night or when I’m mad at someone or something. I would like to start praying in the morning to start my day off talking to Jesus.” – Jacob Krause, eighth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
Drawing by Camille Urcia, eighth grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
“I will draw closer to Jesus this Lent by receiving the sacraments more often than I usually do. I will also pray more often… I will also give more things away to people in need. I also will try and treat people more like Jesus wants me to treat them. I also will pray for other people more often.” – Joseph Annulis, eighth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
“During Lent I have never really fully committed to what I give up or what I say I will do more of. So this year I am going to be very hard on myself and give up all non-essential electronic devices. So no TV, video games, YouTube, nothing. Instead of using electronics, I will pray more (and) focus on my studies. I will also try to go to Confession at least once during Lent.” – Sammy Somers, eighth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons
Drawing by Hayden Estrella, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
“This Lent season in order to be drawn closer to Jesus, I will pray more often with my family and pray the rosary at least once a week.” – Hayden Estrella, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
“I will draw closer to Jesus by praying every day. By praying, I am talking to Jesus every day. I will pray these prayers to pray for the people who died by the coronavirus and the people who are in the hospital. With these prayers, I can thank the Lord for all He has done for me. And lastly, with these prayers, Mother Mary, my guardian angel and Our Father can guide and protect me and my family every day.” – Josette Amado, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
Drawing by Arlo Pangilinan, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
“During this liturgical season of Lent, I keep myself closer to God by praying, fasting and giving alms. Through praying, I can talk and visit God. I can spend time with Him. I can tell Him how I feel, ask for forgiveness and give thanks for all the graces He is pouring upon me and my family. I also would like to refrain from eating candies, chocolates and meat, and stay strong not to use my electronic devices. Through fasting, I can follow God’s footsteps on being strong and having faith. Finally, giving alms -- caring for everyone and helping others the best that I can is like serving God. He said whatever we do for the least of His brothers, we have done it to Him, By doing these things, I can become closer to God during Lent than ever before.” – Arlo Pangilinan, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
Drawing by Leila Gonzales, eighth grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
“This Lent, I will draw closer to Jesus by sharing my musical talents with others. I’ve been told that music brings joy and comfort to many people. My mom told me that when you sing, you pray twice. I love music and enjoy learning hymns on the piano. Before COVID-19, I played the Lord’s Prayer on the piano for the Children’s Mass on Easter. I also used to sing in the school choir. I hope I’ll be able to do all of those things again.” – Leila Gonzales, eighth grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland
Drawing by Violet Klasko, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons, 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.
