Frederick students close Marian month with outdoor rosary May 26, 2022By Kevin J. Parks Catholic Review Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News, Schools Jose Feliz, a seventh grader at St. John Regional Catholic School, Frederick, holds a rosary given to him by his grandmother for his birthday. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff) FREDERICK – Jose Feliz, a seventh grader at St. John Regional Catholic School, Frederick, held a wooden rosary given to him by his grandmother for his birthday as he and some 250 fifth- through eighth-grade students sat on the grass and prayed in the school’s Mary Garden May 23. The special prayer gathering, held before dismissal, was led by Father John Williamson, pastor of St. John the Evangelist, Frederick, and St. Joseph on Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown. It was a solemn way of ending a month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. “It’s really nice to do this with my classmates and to have a priest come and do it for the entire middle school,” Jose said. “I’ve really gotten to use it now that we’ve had these few times that we’re able to pray the rosary as a school.” Jose said it was special to use the rosary that was given to him as a birthday gift from his grandmother. A new Stations of the Cross addition to the Mary Garden at St. John Regional Catholic School in Frederick was the Eagle Scout project of Braedon Smith. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff) “It means a lot that I can have an object (the rosary) even after she’s gone,” he explained. “I can look back and remember the moments I had with her.” Father Williamson said he prays the rosary with students during the Marian months of May and October. “For a lot of them it’s a new, first experience,” Father Williamson said. “Hopefully, they learn that this is a great prayer for them and something they can carry with them.” Dr. Annette Jones, school principal, said the first through fourth grades also have opportunities to participate in age-appropriate rosary time for a better understanding of the prayer. She noted that about 20 percent of the school’s 619 students are not Catholic. The school works to educate students of all backgrounds about what the rosary is and how it is prayed, she said. Julie Pessagno, social studies teacher at St. John Regional Catholic School in Frederick, prays with her seventh and eighth-grade students before dismissal May 23. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff) Like Jose, other students bring special prayer beads with them when they pray the rosary together. Jones said she asks her students about their rosaries when she sees them being carried in school. School leaders said they try to raise awareness about a variety of Catholic devotions. An outdoor Stations of the Cross garden was installed May 20 as an Eagle Scout project by Braedon Smith, St. John Catholic Regional Catholic School graduate and Mount St. Joseph High School rising senior. Embossed plaques highlighting each station are lifted on stands along a small treeline, complementing space students take advantage of during lunch and other activities. “Spirituality is an essential part of the foundation of the school,” Jones said. “It’s a very special part of the school experience.” Email Kevin J. Parks at kparks@CatholicReview.org Father John Williamson, pastor of St. John the Evangelist, Frederick, and St. Joseph’s on Carrollton Manor, leads the fifth through eighth grade in praying the rosary in the Mary Garden at St. John Regional Catholic School, Frederick, May 23. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff) Read More Schools News Spotlighting four Archdiocese of Baltimore Distinctive Scholars Catholic high school graduation numbers, valedictorians and salutatorians at a glance Court: Tuition program excluding religious schools is unconstitutional Catholic school in Uvalde, Texas, is reaching out to help community heal Hagerstown students bring historical figures to life in ‘wax museum’ A tough transition made easier at Baltimore area Catholic high schools Copyright © 2022 Catholic Review Media Print
