California’s second-oldest mission church, 1770-built San Carlos Borromeo, was the recent focus of first- and second-grade members of St. Pius X School’s art club. First grader Kai Dominguez displays his finished piece (see photo at top). After learning about the mission’s architecture and history – including its first Mass, celebrated by St. Junipero Serra – the young artists (including first grader Finley McDermott, above) were instructed by club moderator Cathy Vidos to include the following elements in their compositions: a stone church with a dome, bell tower and arched windows; and a courtyard of roses and olive trees. They also had to incorporate the church’s desert location in the San Lucia Mountains, which involved a lesson on perspective.

Just 12 weeks after conception, a baby living inside his mother’s womb has every organ he will ever need for life “on the outside.” To put this amazing fact a different way: 12 weeks after conception, the main thing a baby needs is time to grow. This 12-week milestone of prenatal development was made tangible to students at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Kenner at the conclusion of their school Mass on Oct. 4. In observance of October’s “Respect-Life Month,” members of St. Elizabeth’s Grandparents Club donated and distributed soft plastic models representing a 12-week-old unborn baby to nearly 500 students. The tiny models, blessed before Mass by Divine Mercy’s pastor Father David Dufour, were wrapped in blankets hand-crocheted by parishioners. The effort, called “The Snuggle Project,” was hatched by Divine Mercy parishioners Barbara Sutphen and Gloria Jean Capiton to enhance the elementary school’s long-standing practice of having the entire student body name and spiritually adopt unborn babies – from conception to birth – over the course of the nine-month school year.

On Oct. 3, sixth and seventh graders from St. Anthony School in Gretna went to Our Lady of Wisdom Healthcare Center to make whimsical door hangings with residents during their activity time. Extras were made for those who couldn’t attend. The collaborative craft concluded with a sing-along. At far left: The hanging made by St. Anthony’s Gavin Caffrey and his senior buddy adds cheer to her wheelchair.

Based on the posters five St. Matthew the Apostle students were holding in the sanctuary of their church Sept. 21, you would have thought they had thrown in the towel. Written on the posters were the words “Impossible.” “There’s Just No Way.” “I Can’t.” “I Surrender.” “I Give Up.” But a quick flip of the posters reminded all gathered in church that hard work and positive thinking very quickly can turn a “can’t” into an accomplishment. The other side of the posters said, “Possible!” “Good Cheer!” “I Will!” “I Can!”

Students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Belle Chasse, conducted a Living Rosary, aided by the giant rosary pictured above, on Oct. 3 (Photo by Beth Donze) Two years ago, a story airing on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) caught the attention of Mary Riser, a Catholic grandmother living in Monroe, Louisiana. The report described how on the night of Jan. 15, 1978, serial killer Ted Bundy had broken into a Florida State University sorority house and had brutally assaulted four young women, killing two of them and severely injuring two others. Yet miraculously, when Bundy opened the door to one young woman’s bedroom and stared straight into her face as she lay in bed, the killer dropped his weapon and ran from the scene, leaving her unharmed. When the young woman recounted her traumatic experience to a Catholic priest, she said she had promised her mother before going off to college that she would pray a nightly rosary “for protection” at bedtime.

Last year, when they were St. Dominic fifth graders, twin sisters Lily and Lulu Centola asked their classmates to make treats for a recess bake sale, raising more than $100.

Next month, third through seventh graders from across the Archdiocese of New Orleans are invited to learn about the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) during a fun-filled Saturday of prayer, stories, games, live music, crafts and Mass celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

Last June during Sunday Mass at Mary Queen of Peace Church, two congregants were so moved by the homilist’s request for financial assistance, they held a business meeting after church to brainstorm ways to raise money for the charitable cause.

Back in 2012, 6-year-old Nikki Leali was volunteering at a local playground when she heard about New Orleans’ “Little Free Library” movement from its founder, Linda Prout.

On April 27, sixth graders from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Kenner went on a field trip to the Audubon Insectarium with kindergartners and first graders from The Good Shepherd School in New Orleans.

Thinking that food might be a fun way to immerse kids in the culture, history and geography of various countries, New Orleans author Whitney Stewart decided to write her 2018 book “What’s on Your Plate? Exploring the World of Food,” a culinary tour of 14 nations featuring country-specific recipes for cooks as young as 5.

Last summer, Gina Egan realized she really missed not having a homeroom period – that golden time during the school day in which teachers like herself could interact more casually with their students while still keeping the learning going.

Three eye-popping dresses “sprout” from flowerbeds in the entrance foyer at St. Dominic School. Or do they? Closer inspection reveals the garments, modeled after the shift-style dresses popularized by the late American fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer, are made not of billowy material, but of stiff papier-mâché.

When a large vase in St. Angela Merici’s gym began filling up with jelly beans, school principal Paige Bennett occasionally had to remind visitors to refrain from eating the candies. The jelly beans – each one dropped into the vase by a St. Angela student to signify that he or she had prayed a decade of the rosary – were a colorful reminder of the youngsters’ growing Lenten prayerfulness.

Emma Nguyen’s 3-D portrayal of “Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus” captures a rare moment of hope during Christ’s Passion. Veronica, who is seen kneeling on a cobblestone road, shows Jesus the cloth etched with the image of his face.

As St. Clement of Rome sixth grader Esteban Duchesne read the story of “The Missing Crayon,” you could have heard a pin drop. Esteban’s audience –  St. Michael Special Lower School students Will Davis and Mateo Plaza-Gibson –  were captivated by the saga of a rainbow’s search for its missing colors. In the end, the rainbow was made whole again. The little listeners pointed out and named each hue. “I thought they would just look at it and say, ‘Oh, it’s another book about colors,’ but apparently not. They were excited about the book!” said Esteban, who illustrated and co-wrote the story with his St. Clement classmates Matthew Brooks and Evan Helffrich.

In the uncertain months following Hurricane Katrina, Kathleen Calder was reminded of the powerful role yearbooks played in the lives of students who had long since graduated. Alumni of De La Salle began contacting Calder – then the high school’s longtime yearbook advisor – in search of yearbooks to replace those lost in their flooded homes.

There was nothing Sofia Reed could do to stop the domino effect from reaching her newborn daughter, Rebecca: A chair toppled onto the desk on which the young mother had just set Rebecca’s portable crib. The chain reaction sent Baby Rebecca crashing onto the floor, causing the infant serious injury.

St. Edward’s afterschool rosary group invites children to deepen their relationship with the Blessed Mother: Every Wednesday after the 3 p.m. dismissal, more than two dozen St. Edward the Confessor students voluntarily remain on campus to pray the rosary together in church.

A week before the Christmas break, bears of all colors and sizes sprawled across the gym stage at Our Lady of Prompt Succor School in Chalmette, each a heartfelt and huggable gift destined for a child in need of some comfort.