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School News | Monday, October 25, 2021

What can St. Francis of Assisi teach teens of today?

Sophomores at Cardinal Gibbons High reflect on saint’s legacy during theology class

Sophomores in Nelson Araque's period C theology class pose around the statue of St. Francis of Assisi on the Cardinal Gibbons High School campus as part of their class study of the saint's legacy and how his teachings can impact today's world.

Photographer: COURTESY

Sophomores in Nelson Araque's period C theology class pose around the statue of St. Francis of Assisi on the Cardinal Gibbons High School campus as part of their class study of the saint's legacy and how his teachings can impact today's world.

FORT LAUDERDALE | A photograph, an essay and a virtual pet blessing were among the teaching tools used by a Cardinal Gibbons professor to impart the lessons of a 12th century saint to the teenagers of today.

To celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi Oct. 4, and to conclude the Season of Creation (Sept. 1-Oct. 4, 2021) with his sophomore classes, Cardinal Gibbons theology teacher Nelson Araque planned four activities.

The first was taking a picture next to the statue of St. Francis on the school campus, which is a permanent reminder of his example and the school’s Franciscan tradition, as the Franciscan Sisters of Joliet were part of the school community for more than 50 years.

“After taking the picture we came back to the classroom to pray the St. Francis Prayer that helped us to reflect on how to be instruments of God’s peace,” Araque said.

He then asked his students to reflect on Laudato Si’ #10, in which Pope Francis — who took the saint’s name when he was elected pope — describes St. Francis in “a very deep and lovely way,” Araque said.

The pope’s words: “I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”

After reading and reflecting on that description of St. Francis, Araque asked his students to write an essay presenting the three most important attitudes they learned from St. Francis and how they could practice them in their daily life.

“The majority of the essays were well thought and communicated the impact of the 12th-centuryPoverello in the life of high school sophomores in the 21st century,” Araque said.

He shared some examples of the attitudes his students cited as a fruit of their reflection:

Michael Kramer pointed out openheartedness. Michael explained: “Having an open heart is essential to giving and receiving love… If you have an open heart to others, you can make them feel accepted and important.”

Casey Etienne Jr. explained how he learned from St. Francis to be caring and empathetic. “It is also important to be caring, so you can care for people and understand where they are coming from. Which also ties into being empathetic, so you can actually listen to someone’s feelings and see how they feel.”

Natalia Ferreiro pointed out kindness and fairness as two of the attitudes she learned from St. Francis. “We should also not put our needs before others’ needs, but there has to be a balance between taking care of yourself and taking care of others.”

The last activity was a virtual blessing of pets, co-sponsored by Gibbons’ environmental club, MonEarth. Students were invited to join a Zoom session Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.

“It was a joy to have them virtually with their pets,” said Araque.

Franciscan Friar Nicholas Mormando blessed the pets and reminded students, parents, alumni and teachers of the importance of caring and loving God’s creation as St. Francis did.

Father imparted a final blessing to all using a popular blessing in the Franciscan tradition, taken from the book of Numbers, 6: 24-26.

“I celebrated the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi with my students because this saint’s legacy can help us to open our hearts and be more empathetic to the cry of the poor as well as to live with kindness and fairness as we listen to the cry of the earth,” Araque said.

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