‘Attitudes of beatitudes’ are cultivated through St. Dominic’s 2022-23 school theme

Above: Elizabeth Talbot, the religious director at St. Dominic Church and School, said examining one beatitude each month as a schoolwide theme has ignited students’ interest in Jesus’ “blueprint” for true happiness. (Photos by Beth Donze and courtesy of St. Dominic School)

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

St. Dominic fourth grader Grace Wall says the yearlong “Beatitudes” theme unfolding each month at her school has taught her the meaning of a new word in her vocabulary: “meek.”

“My favorite beatitude is ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” Grace said. “‘Meek’ means to be humble and gentle, and it teaches you to be patient.”

Understanding that Catholic schools’ “No. 1 goal is to get our children to heaven,” Elizabeth Talbot, the religious director at St. Dominic Church and School, brainstormed ways students could “tackle” a different beatitude every month – to make each a more relevant and understandable component of their everyday lives as young Catholics.

“We’ve got these Eight Beatitudes that Jesus gave us – we just have to live them out and follow the blueprint that has been given to us,” Talbot said. “We focus so much on the more we have, the bigger our house, (assuming) that’s what’s going to make us happy. But all of that is not going to make us happy if we’re not living out these beatitudes!”

Monthly focus

• The children’s cross-curricular immersion in the beatitudes began last September with “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” – chosen by Talbot first because it was the “easiest for the children to understand.”

During morning prayer and announcements, Talbot suggested various ways people could be peacemakers and linked school Mass hymns and prayers – such as The Prayer of St. Francis and Our Family Prayer – to Christians’ calling to be people of peace. The theme seeped into the children’s other subjects, with third graders, for example, doing posters in social studies on ways they could spread peace in their communities – through good habits such as picking up litter, holding housewarmings and being more attentive to neighbors.

“There were some new students in our class this year, so one thing I did (to build peace) was to introduce them to my friends,” said third grader Victoria Williams.

• In October, the school community unpacked “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

“We did a bit of role-playing in the classroom,” Talbot said. “When somebody wrongs you, it’s very easy to take revenge. But that’s not what we’re supposed to do. We have to practice mercy.”

ELA teachers challenged their students to see how many words they could make out of the word “merciful.” During lessons on alphabetical order, rather than alphabetizing random words, alphabetized words from the beatitudes – “persecuted,” “Gospel of Matthew,” etc. – “so they would be hearing these words over and over again and not just in religion class,” Talbot said, noting that her seventh graders assembled and delivered “Mercy Bags” to unhoused guests of the Rebuild Center as a related service project.

Spiritual hunger

• November’s “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” was tied into Thanksgiving, when Catholic schools typically focus on food poverty. St. Dominic mounted a blanket and cold-weather clothing drive for the poor.

“We talked about the difference between physical hunger versus what that beatitude actually means – we have physical needs, but our souls hunger and thirst, too,” Talbot said. “We also talked about ‘righteousness’ – it’s not always a bad thing, like you’re being arrogant or thinking you’re better than others. It also means always doing what’s right, just because it’s right!”

• The school’s examination of the beatitudes resumed in January with “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

“Our catch phrase for January was ‘Meek is a small word that has a very big meaning,‘” Talbot said. “The point we drove home is that meekness is not weakness! Jesus was the greatest person that there ever was, but yet we say he was ‘meek’ – and certainly not ‘weak.’ He knew that he could always draw his strength and his power from God.”

During Catholic Schools Week that month, the beatitudes were a category in a “Catholic Jeopardy” game played by students in grades 4-7. For example, for the Jeopardy answer “These people will be called ‘children of God,’” the correct question was “Who are peacemakers?”

• The seemingly contradictory beatitude of “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” was explored in February, with students learning that joy and contentment often spring from “emptying” yourself and turning over control of your life to God’s care.

• This month, St. Dominic is delving into “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” In March, all students in grades 3-7 receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

“When we go to confession, we get a “spiritual bath” and the urge to only desire what is good and pleasing to God,” Talbot said. “I am talking a little bit about how Lent is a time for us to say no to those extra things that we think will give us happiness, but really don’t, and a time to say yes to what God desires. And what does God desire? God desires hearts that are pure!”

• The school year will conclude with “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, in April; and “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” in May.

Teaching moments

Throughout the year during Thursday school Masses, the beatitude of the month is incorporated into the introduction, prayer of the faithful and in symbols carried up by the children during the offertory. Students also present a beatitude-related reflection after Communion – a special skit, reading, poem or song.

Twice a month during morning prayer, Talbot reads from “Beatitales,” a collection of 80 “real-life fables” inspired by the beatitudes. She also uses these Google Meet sessions to “bounce” the word of the day on the screen and to connect the lives of the saints to a beatitudinal virtue.

Two “Caught Ya” boxes also reinforce the theme.

“When students ‘catch’ their classmates practicing a beatitude, they can fill out a form (describing it) and put it into the Caught Ya box,” Talbot explained. Every Friday, the good actions of five students are randomly picked from the box and shared with the entire student body, with small prizes awarded.

Teachers have their own Caught Ya box in their faculty lounge, with two weekly winners receiving prime campus parking spaces.

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