The fruit of silence is prayer.
The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.

– Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Faithful to Roman Catholic tradition, students at Our Mother of Consolation Parish School are called to serve the least among us. By virtue of our baptismal promise to follow Jesus, we have a responsibility to serve. Jesus clearly expressed His expectation for us to care for one another when he explained, “Whenever you saw me hungry and gave me to eat, thirsty and gave me to drink, saw me a stranger and welcomed me, named and clothed me, sick or imprisoned and visited me, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

The Corporal Works of Mercy, taken directly from this passage in Matthew 25, form the basis of our approach to service. Grounded in catechesis that is both deeply personal and at the same time sensitive to global issues, OMC students participate in projects that feed the hungry, visit the sick, clothe the naked, raise money for the homeless and those in need of clean water, write to those who are imprisoned, and serve at funeral services to bury the dead.

OMC Parish School is in a unique position to afford students and parents opportunities to put their faith into action. As part of a parish that sponsors monthly education and collection projects, our students collaborate with the parish. At school, we take additional steps, such as:

  1. Service Learning: Students learn about social issues such as homelessness and hunger, where our faith calls us to show mercy. This education occurs both in assemblies, where guest speakers share information and stories, as well as in the classroom, where teachers and parent volunteers explore issues in more depth.
  2. Sacrificial Giving: Students collect needed items and raise money for charities that address the issues they are studying.
  3. Awareness Raising: Students are equipped and encouraged to talk with one another and with families and friends about our shared social responsibilities.
  4. Action: Students engage in actions that serve and support those who are in need.
  5. Prayer: The Corporal Works of Mercy each have corresponding Spiritual Works by which we are called to pray for those in need. Prayer services for specific marginalized groups, such as those who are without home and enough food, are conducted to connect learning, action, and prayer.

These acts of service have great value in and of themselves. This approach to service, however, is also designed to instill lifelong habits, and to develop and deepen at each grade level in age-appropriate ways. Our school Call to Service, which mirrors the Code of Courtesy, gives each grade clear benchmarks for understanding justice and charity. Through instilling our responsibility to serve Christ by serving the least among us, OMC nurtures each child’s personal relationship with Jesus and helps that relationship bear fruit.