Having celebrated Pentecost yesterday, I can say that this Easter season was a time of reflection on the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for humanity. Dying for our sins was God’s greatest act of love for all mankind. During this past Lent and Easter, I have felt a deep devotion to our Lord, and as a teacher, I wanted to give back in the smallest way for what He has done for humanity. One of St. Benedict Classical Academy’s patron saints, St. Thomas Aquinas, said, “The habit of charity extends not only to the love of God, but also to the love of our neighbor.” My inspiration to help others has only grown while being at SBCA, where the ease with which families support and give to various causes is truly admirable.

Last week was St. Isidore the Farmer’s feast day, celebrated on May 15th. He is the patron saint of farmers and was known for his love of the poor, with accounts of him miraculously supplying farmers with food. My family and I have been part of a wonderful gardening group at our parish, St. Thomas the Apostle in Millis. For the past month, my children, husband, and I have been getting our hands dirty, growing fruits and vegetables in a raised garden bed on the church grounds. The mission of our gardening group is to donate 50% of the produce to the Medway Village Food Pantry.

This year, I wanted to connect something dear to my family with my school family in our third-grade classroom. So, we started a small greenhouse in the classroom. I discussed with my students that feeding the hungry is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy, and one way we can show charity to our neighbors. It was beautiful to see their excitement as the seeds grew into seedlings. I then planted the seedlings in a garden bed at St. Thomas Church, which my children have been caring for ever since. In a few weeks, I look forward to seeing the fruits of our labor donated to the food pantry and sharing this experience with my students.

I pray that my students and I can continue to look to St. Isidore for guidance in our gardening, and to St. Thomas Aquinas to cultivate our gift of charity to our neighbors in need this spring.

AUTHOR: Shelley McAvoy, Grade 3 Teacher