School and parish communities in the Diocese of Trenton honored the holy men and women of God in a multitude of ways this All Saints’ Day, Nov.1.
Students eager to emulate the appearance of their favorite saints used scissors, tape, fabric and imagination to create costumes like those of old may have worn.
Kindergarteners of St. Dominic School were dressed to imitate their favorite saints as they attended the Brick church’s 9 a.m. Mass, where Father Michael Gentile, parochial vicar, presided over his first All Saints’ Day Mass as a newly ordained priest.
Photo Galleries: St. Dominic & St. Joseph
A similar celebration took place in St. Mary Parish, Middletown, as students in grades one through four wore costumes for the 9:30 a.m. Mass with Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor, presiding. In St. Joseph Parish, Toms River, Father Jerome Guld, parochial vicar, looked over a sea of first-graders who greeted parishioners as they arrived for the 1 p.m. Mass, then joined in the entrance procession. Howell’s St. Veronica School students, clad as saints, processed into the church and served as readers and gift bearers at a Mass with Father Vincent Euk, pastor, as presider.
The St. Aloysius School community in Jackson celebrated with a “Becoming a Saint” project Oct. 30. The student council organized a schoolwide project wherein fifth- through eighth-grade students researched numerous saints, then partnered with pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade students to share written information, construct paper-towel tube statues and don life-size costumes for a parade around the gymnasium to the tune of “When the Saints Come Marching In.”
Their video, complete with quotes from saints, can be seen by visiting the school’s YouTube channel, SASGators.