Students at St. Patrick School and youth in St. Patrick Church’s religious education program have made approximately 120 burial markers for the Catholic Charities’ Indigent Burial program.
Joanie Henricks, director of children’s formation at St. Patrick, said that she wanted to introduce burying the dead to the younger children.
“I realized that most of the work done for indigent burial has been done by high schools, and I wanted to introduct the beautiful corporal work of mercy to our younger children,” she said.
Jennifer Wilson, the Indigent Burial coordinator, spoke to students in third- through fifth-grade at St. Patrick School on Nov. 8. Then, students had the opportunity to create burial stones and pray for the person whose grave would receive the marker.
On Nov. 10, students from the parish’s religious education program created more markers.
The project was done in partnership with the parish’s men’s ministry, “The Fishermen.” Ten men from the ministry mixed approximately 900 pounds of concrete for the project.
“The kids felt sympathy and learned compassion — they felt like they were helping someone and were all smiles,” said Henricks.
