The halls of Angelus Academy in Springfield were filled with
saints of all sizes Oct. 30 for the school’s annual All
Saints Day celebration. It is the one day a year students
trade in their uniforms for habits, robes, armor and angel
wings to become a living communion of saints.
The day began similar to any other day at Angelus, with the
whole school gathered in the chapel. Parents watched as each
eighth-grader in costume spoke about the life of the saint
they represented and why they chose their saint.
“I chose St. James because I want to pray to him, look up to
him and be more like him in the future,” said eighth-grader
Isabel Frelk. “He had great faith and loyalty.”
After the presentations, the younger students went to their
classrooms to give their own saintly speeches for their
parents. The exercise provided a public speaking opportunity
for the students and also helped their classmates and parents
learn about different saints and their virtues.
“It has always been part of the mission of Angelus to
celebrate the embodiment of virtue,” said Betty Joe Lash,
director of recruitment at Angelus. “We want the students to
have a deep appreciation of the heroic virtues of the
saints.”
After the presentations, students enjoyed crafts, games and
snack time. Eighth-graders patiently guided the younger
students through saint-themed activities, such as a game of
sharks and minnows, renamed Christians and Romans.
The little saints at Angelus ended the day in the chapel by
joining all the saints and angels in heaven at a special All
Saints Day Mass.
“I get so moved by seeing all the kids dressed up as saints
during Mass knowing that this is where we are all headed,”
said Lash.
