By Dorothy K. LaMantia | Correspondent

At Villa Victoria Academy, every event is centered in prayer, from concerts to the Feast Day of St. Lucy Filippini,  founder of the Order of the Religious Teachers Filippini who staff the academy.

“Every day begins and ends with all-school prayer,” said Colleen White, director of admissions in the grade six-through-12 school for girls in Ewing. “Each class begins with prayer, 10 times a day. It reminds them of their faith and what we are all about. In the words of our principal, Filippini Sister Lesley Draper, ‘God is the reason we exist. Everything we do points our girls to Divine Providence.’”

Prayer and Catholic culture filter into the day to day. “Often in the hallways, I overhear conversations between students ending with, ‘OK, don’t worry. I’ll pray for you.’ It is so informal and organic,” White said.  

Students are invited to spend their lunch or study hall periods for private adoration in the chapel, a practice providing students with a modicum of peace. Sophomore Alyssa Romano views it as “one of the most important prayer experiences available, being with Jesus present in the Eucharist. Prayer allows me to take a step back and remember God is in control.”

For junior Meghan Di Mercurio, prayer helps attain balance in the face of academic demands faced by high school students. “Our first reaction to a stressful situation or challenge is to pray first. We stop and meditate on how we can approach situations in a Christian manner. A steady prayer life allows me to be grounded, even at the height of stress.”

“Prayer life at Villa has left a mark on my life,” said senior Mary Zsolway, “because it unites us as a school community. [Villa is] an environment that strengthens faith in Christ and unites my Villa family.”