Photo: Bishop Stephen Parkes blesses the “We Prayed for You” prayer cards recently during a special Mass. (Photo Credit: Jessie Kalinowski)
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“We Prayed for You” is a service project started by St. John the Evangelist Catholic School that involves the school, the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church parish, and the community. “The mission of the project is to connect with our local community through faith and prayer. Our students have volunteered their time and talent to create artwork and write prayers for prayer cards, and are continuing to pray for our community,” said SJCS Principal Vito Pellitteri.
“This service project was born out of the recent trials and hardships so many have faced and are facing,” said SJCS Art Teacher Christine Cabral. “Our students have all been affected in some way by the pandemic and this project reminds our students that they possess a powerful tool: prayer.”
The “We Prayed for You” service project began with the creation of prayer cards. Each grade selected a specific prayer focus: perseverance, recovery, loved ones, patience, peace, protection, healing, strength, and comfort. They then created unique artwork to reflect each prayer, to be printed on the front of the prayer cards. Lastly, the students of each class then prayed their prayer together, making a recording of it. Recipients of the prayer cards can access the recording by scanning the QR code printed on the card. Recordings of each prayer are also available on the school’s website, SJCSValdosta.org.
The prayer cards were recently blessed by Bishop Stephen Parkes at a special Mass. The next phase of the service project begins with the distribution of the prayer cards by SJCS students during Mass, in the parish and throughout the community. Donations are welcomed and will be used to create “prayer packages,” each containing a prayer card and treats, to be distributed into the community where they can help the most.
“Our community is tired and in need of support and our school can help provide that support. Through these interactive, original-artwork prayer cards, the recipients will be able to see and feel the compassion of the students at SJCS praying with them and for them,” said Cabral.
About Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School
St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, located at 800 Gornto Road in Valdosta, Georgia, provides students Pre-K 2 – 8th grade with the highest quality education in a Christian setting. The school offers electives including Spanish, music, band, art and computers as well as religion in addition to extracurricular activities like basketball, volleyball, cross country and student council. For more information, call the school at (229) 244-2556 or visit sjcsvaldosta.org.
