From the moment they enter to the moment they leave, students are surrounded by the Faith, said Gabbie Marguery, principal at St. Elizabeth Area Catholic School in Reese.

Each student from kindergarten to eighth grade writes their own prayers and leads school-wide morning prayer throughout the year, along with weekly Rosaries in October and May, the Stations of the Cross on Holy Thursday and Tenebrae services.

Students also help plan school Masses, selecting songs based on the day’s readings and writing the Prayers of the Faithful— even first graders. Students lector, cantor, present the gifts and serve at the altar.

“They are going to be the leaders of tomorrow in our churches,” Gabbie said. “It's giving them the opportunity to practice their faith in different ways. ... It means that you are a part of the Church.”

Hannah Ellison, a third-generation St. Elizabeth student, is grateful for these opportunities.

“It makes me feel closer to God. It makes me feel good to be involved with church,” said the sixth grader.

Hannah also enjoys a new addition to St. Elizabeth:  Faithful Fridays.

“They’re typically fun. When we get to do (those things), just like for church, it kind of makes me feels like we're doing something with God, and we're praying with God and being closer to him,” she said.

During the synod, students reported they loved to practice and learn more about their faith — and they wanted more. Faithful Fridays began as one way to meet that desire.

Each week, students gather for a different activity. One Friday they practiced hymns for the school’s All Souls’ Day Mass, and at another Father Andy LaFramboise, pastor, spoke about vocations. Children made a craft reflecting on his message.

Like many of our Catholic schools, St. Elizabeth pairs younger and older students to be “prayer buddies.” These prayer buddies accompany the younger students to Mass and help them follow along with the liturgy, as well as be their friend throughout the year. Sometimes younger students even ask their prayer buddy to be their Confirmation sponsor.

Gabbie and her staff strongly believe in the importance of infusing Catholic faith in everything they do.

“We need to keep our schools Catholic, and the faith is ... at the center of everything,” Gabbie said. “If children are relaxed, feel they're cared for and are loved, they're going to learn. And our faith allows them to feel safe.”

"We are intentional, because we are a Catholic school, what we do has to show:  this is our faith. And this is what we are going to carry with us all our lives,” Gabbie said.

When they graduate, Gabbie writes each student a letter.

“I always tell them with God, everything is possible,” she said. “If I can pass that on to my kids— I’ve done my job.”