Keeping
Faith
To help her students put faith into
action, religion teacher Kathy Scott, joined in collaboration with her
daughter, Niki Scott, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican
Republic.
Kathy started the Giving Our Donations (GOD) project with her
junior high students at Most Precious Blood School in Denver to raise money to
paint a three-room school that villagers were building in Hato del Yaque, a
barrio outside Santiago. In six weeks, 50 students raised more than $500,
double the amount needed to paint the school.
One girl has donated all her baby-sitting money earned every
weekend, Kathy said. One went to all her neighbors and friends and
begged change.
What was left over will go to a scholarship fund for high
school-age girls lacking money for tuition, uniforms and other expenses. The
social concerns committee at Most Precious Blood Parish also donated $500 to
the scholarship fund, which is run by a committee of Peace Corps
volunteers.
Niki, 24, who finished her Peace Corps service in October 1998,
came to her mothers school for a presentation on life in the Dominican
Republic and to show how the students money was being used. It
opens these kids eyes to the way the rest of the world lives, Niki
said. The students asked all sorts of questions about daily life,
transportation, homes, schools, jobs and what they do for fun, she
said.
Lou Schwartzsays his ministry
is to bring the nonviolent love of Jesus into the violence called D.C.
jail.
Schwartz, a member of Christ the King Parish in Washington, said
he also wants to raise the consciousness of the Christian community to
the cries for mercy from the hurting bodies and souls within the tiny
cages of the North Lockdown Unit of the jail.
As associate chaplain, Schwartz celebrates the Liturgy of the Word
with the inmates every Friday and then visits each inmate, distributing
reflection notes on the liturgy, Bibles and amenities.
He calls parole boards, families and lawyers for the inmates. He
coordinates a prison pen pal program and correspondence classes. Schwartz is
also hoping to establish a support program for men released on parole.
Send suggestions for Keeping Faith to Teresa Malcolm at NCR.
Her E-mail address is tmalcolm@natcath.org
National Catholic Reporter, February 12,
1999
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