By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

When it comes to designing greeting cards, the first grade religious education students in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Maple Shade, can teach Hallmark a thing or two.

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A recent project that catechist Michelle Carrera-Foster had the youngsters work on was to create colorful cards and include personal, handwritten messages to be sent to Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

Carrera-Foster said that the card-designing project was part of the class’ study that week on the “different roles each person plays in the Church.” Besides learning about who a bishop is and what he does, other people the students learned about included the Pope, priests and sisters. To enhance the students’ lesson, Carrera-Foster incorporated a teaching on the Diocese of Trenton and some background information on Bishop O’Connell. She then had the students create handmade greeting cards to send to him.

“They love making cards so it was a perfect activity for them,” said Carrera-Foster. Using paper, crayons, magic markers and a lot of imagination, the youngsters donned their artistic talents and created an array of colorful drawings that showed churches, crosses and people praying. Messages that were conveyed to Bishop O’Connell simply said, “Thank you for all you do for the Church and all its people.”

Upon receiving the package of cards, Bishop O’Connell expressed how delighted he was to review the specially-made drawings and know that he was kept in the thoughts and prayers of the young people of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish.