From students' point of view:

At St. Bernard School in Watertown, students collect vitamins to help the people of Ternopil in the Ukraine. A missionary recently spoke to St. Bernard School students about malnutrition in the Ukraine. Here, student Beth Johnson places a stone in a jar that represents a contribution of vitamins. With her are from left, students Kate Jones, Taylor Wagner, Clayton Rehm, and Nicholas Wolhaupter. (Jeff Allen photo)

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Learning about faith is a natural part of the school day for students in Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Madison -- and applying their Catholic faith is something some students really take to heart.

"Kindness and generosity" are among the most important things eighth grader Jackie Hogan has learned at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cross Plains.

How has she learned this? Through projects like the Giving Tree at Christmas, in which students buy gifts for other children less fortunate than themselves, she said. And in her language arts class, a "Pay It Forward" service project encouraged students to help others in the community and then tell those people to return the favor by doing something nice for someone else.

"We told them to pay other people back so that more kindness could be shared around the community," said Hogan. For instance, different groups of students assisted janitors at the school, helped a teacher who was sick, and walked dogs for a local veterinarian's clinic.

"The project taught me that helping a person can make their day, make them feel better, and make you feel better about helping someone else out," said Hogan.

Closer to God

Overall, her Catholic education "really helped me to get to know of God and be closer to God," said Hogan. "When I've had problems, or when I'm happy, I was taught that God is always there for you. That has helped me to grow as a person."

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Plus, "My mom and I have always believed that the challenges you go through makes you stronger," said Hogan, pointing out that she and her mother still pray together every night.

Excited to graduate and move on to high school, Hogan said she plans to bring with her what she learned from St. Francis Xavier School, including showing kindness to others and the desire to always help others out.

"This school has always taught me to treat everyone how I would want to be treated," said Hogan.

Helping others

At St. John Vianney School in Janesville, sixth grader Abby Geiger employs the same concept.

"We do a lot of projects that help us understand we need to start helping everyone and that there are people who need it," she said. For instance, the entire school is involved with a local food drive for Everyone Cooperating To Help Others, Inc. (ECHO).

Emphasizing the importance of helping others, Geiger and her mother planned a unique 12th birthday party last Nov. 21. Instead of having her friends bring birthday gifts for her, Geiger had the guests bring food or other items to be donated to the House of Mercy, a local homeless shelter.

"Abby told others that she really needed nothing while those at the shelter needed lots," said principal Judi Dillon. "I really see this as her faith at work."

"We wanted to do something for somebody else," Geiger said.

During the party, Geiger and her 24 friends participated in a scavenger hunt to collect more items from 60 neighbors who had been given lists of items the shelter needed. After sorting the items, the Geigers delivered nearly a truckload of goods to the House of Mercy.

Geiger's friends enjoyed the idea so much that several said they might try the same thing next year.

"It felt good that I could help (the House of Mercy)," said Geiger.

Respecting faith

For seventh grader Katie Boyle at Immaculate Heart of Mary School (IHM) in Monona, going to a Catholic school not only emphasizes the importance of academics, but the importance of understanding and respecting faith as well.

"At IHM they make it fun and push you to be the best you can in academics and other activities," said Boyle. "Going to IHM, and especially religion class, teaches you about your faith, and then when you go to church you respect it more because you're able to listen to the gospels and readings and be able to understand what's going on."

News Briefs: Christian Unity Week services In Mazomanie MAZOMANIE -- The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be celebrated by Cross Plains, Black Earth, and Mazomanie area parishes Thursday, Jan. 24, at St. Barnabas Parish in Mazomanie. The service begins at 7 p.m. A reception will follow in the St. Barnabas Parish Family Center. Everyone is invited to join in this ecumenical celebration. In Watertown WATERTOWN -- An ecumenical music and worship service will be held Sunday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. at St. Henry Church, corner of 4th and Cady St., Watertown. This event was inspired by the enthusiastic response to the interfaith songfest in October of 2001. Christian Unity Week is the focus for the January "Watertown Prays to Praise"; the second is scheduled for April 14, 2002. These events are being held in collaboration with Watertown's Clergy Roundtable and are open to the public. The services include prayer, song, and faith witness. Music ministries from area churches will offer selections and lead congregational singing; area pastors will lead the assembly in prayer and meditation. Hospitality and fellowship will follow in the parish center. The next interfaith songfest is Oct. 6, 2002. Groundhog Day marked Feb. 2 SUN PRAIRIE -- The Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce, Saint Albert the Great Parish, and The Star newspaper will sponsor the 2002 Groundhog Day on Saturday, Feb. 2, at Saint Albert the Great Parish, 2420 St. Albert the Great Dr. Jimmy the Groundhog will be making his annual prognostication at 7:10 a.m. (sunrise). Groundhog Day festivities will begin with a community breakfast from 6:30 to 10 a.m. Tickets for the breakfast are available at the door only. Continuing the celebration will be a birthday celebration for "Human Groundhogs" (people born Feb. 2) at 8:30 a.m. The event will continue through 12 noon, with performances from local schools and clubs. The 28th annual Groundhog Ball will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Round Table, 1611 N. Bristol St., from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Tickets are available in advance from Fred Morgan of the Knights of Columbus, 608-837-5371, and Fuzzy's Liquor Store or at the door. For more information on Groundhog Day Activities, contact the Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce at 608-837-4547, 1-800-400-6162, or visit the chamber Web site at www.sunprairiechamber.com. Parish Staff Day MADISON -- "Furthering the Gospel Mission of the Church: A Partnership" is the theme of the Parish Staff Day sponsored by the Diocese of Madison's Office of Pastoral Services. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. The day, which is open to all members of parish staffs, begins at 9 a.m. with registration, followed by 10 a.m. morning prayer with Bishop William H. Bullock. Keynote presentations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Lunch begins at 11:45 a.m. The keynote speaker is Sr. Sharon Euart, a member of the Baltimore Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas with more than 20 years of experience in church administration at the diocesan and national levels. Cost for the day is $15 per person, which includes lunch. Registration is due Feb. 7 to the Office of Pastoral Services, P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983. For more information, call 608-821-3083 or e-mail pastoral@straphael.org. Lenten retreat MADISON -- The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Madison 1164, is sponsoring a women's Lenten spiritual retreat for all interested women, to be held at Schoenstatt Heights, 5901 Cottage Grove Rd. Madison, the weekend of Feb. 15-17. For details, call Cynthia: 223-1712; Helen: 273-0567; Shirley: 255-2831; or Charlotte: 257-2795. Paid reservations are due by Monday, Feb. 11, by mailing to: Cynthia Aronson, 6136 Culpepper Ln., Madison, WI 53718.

School community service projects such as raking people's lawns "helps you to be better in helping other people and really professing your faith through other things," said Boyle. "Catholic schools help you to be a better person."

Things Boyle plans to take with her as she moves forward in school are "being able to help other people" and understanding that "everybody has to do some part in their parish."

Doing good things

At St. Bernard Parish in Watertown, fifth grader Moses Balian said some of the most important things he has learned at the school is "that family is important, that you should always have faith, and that you should always believe that God is with you and cares for you."

The school Masses, the St. Patrick's Day parade, and projects like collecting vitamins for Ukraine and collecting cereal for people who can't afford it help with the development of faith, Balian said. "We do a lot of great things," he said.

"He is a great example of commitment to school, church, and service to others," said principal Jeff Allen.

When outside of school, Balian lives his Catholic faith by "going to church, being with good people, praying always, and doing good things," he said. Some of these good things he has come up with himself include knitting scarves for teachers and the principal and an Irish flag to be displayed at the school.

After raising $200 from a garage sale, Balian decided to donate it to the parish for a beautification project.

When asked how he came up with the idea, Balian said simply, "I'm a kid and I don't really know what do with the money, so why not give it to the church?"

MADISON -- The public policy agency of Wisconsin's Roman Catholic bishops praised Governor Scott McCallum's announcement that programs that serve needy families and persons with disabilities will be exempt from budget adjustments to deal with the state's estimated $1.1 billion revenue shortfall.

"The Governor's announcement is a welcome sign that those most in need of the community's help will not endure additional hardship as Wisconsin deals with its budgetary problems," said John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, in reaction to the governor's announcement.

The governor, who is scheduled to unveil his plans for coping with the state's revenue shortfall on Jan. 23, identified several programs and initiatives he hopes to protect from funding reductions. These include:

• Wisconsin's medical assistance and BadgerCare programs which are vital to poor families without health care coverage.

• The community aids program which is the primary source of support for county and local programs that serve persons with disabilities and other needs.

• The earned income tax credit that provides help for lower-income workers.

• Homeless grants, the state's AIDS program, child welfare services, and pregnancy counseling programs.

• The Community Options program and the Community Integration program, which keep persons who need assistance living in their communities instead of in more costly institutions.

• The Wisconsin Works program, also known as W-2, designed to help working poor families avoid dependency on public assistance, will also be insulated from funding reductions.