Join our Lenten Loaves and Fishes Campaign for St. Francis Seraph School

When Jesus…saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”

So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to (his) disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied.

–The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 6

For over 150 years, the Franciscans, and St. Francis Seraph Parish Community, have offered a place for children to get a foundation in life through education, discipline and spiritual nourishment. St. Francis Seraph School is a safe haven in the midst of the city, where thousands of young people have begun their life-journey. Today, over 140 inner-city children are engaged in that journey at our school.

The city can sometimes be “a deserted place.” Today, troubled families, violence, drugs, economic hardships threaten the lives of our children. Solutions to those larger problems are beyond the ability of any one person. But the Franciscans, our parish and our friends in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine believe elementary education in a Catholic setting is our best hope to begin change.

Today, the task of educating our children is a heavy financial burden. Already, generous friends help us through the Catholic Inner-city Schools Education Fund (CISE), an imaginative effort which provides much of what we need to operate St. Francis Seraph School. But even with the help of CISE and other benefactors, covering the day-to-day cost of teachers’ and staff salaries and benefits, the supplies and programs, and the special needs of an inner-city school, leave us with a month-by-month deficit.

We often ask, with Jesus’ disciples, “How are we to nourish our children with what we have?”

The story of Christ taking fives loaves and two fish, and working a miracle of feeding a great crowd inspires us to beg for help this Lent.

We believe that through the means of social networking and generous friends, we can ask the Lord to multiply small gifts, and accomplish the goal of feeding the hearts and minds of our inner-city children.

Will you help provide those loaves and fishes this Lent?

Your small gift of $10, $20, $50 or $100 will go a long way! It will help our teachers and staff expand already-stretched services, and meet the day-to-day needs of operating our school. Here are some of the ways your gift can work:

$10 will provide: Basic school supplies for a student—crayons, markers, folders, paper….Soil and seeds for science classes (primary grades)…Outdoor recess items—sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, playground balls

$20 will provide: Educational board games for indoor recess…A year’s worth of baby wipes—Grade 2…Large bottle of hand sanitizer (67.7 oz.) for classroom or cafeteria

$50 will provide: Postage stamps for summer parent information mailing…Classroom heavy-duty electric pencil sharpener…Basic school uniform for one student (pants, shirt, shorts)

$100 will provide: The “Phonics Dance Program” – Grade 2…Ink or toner cartridge…A set (2 rolls) of laminating film

Join our Lenten Loaves and Fishes Campaign for St. Francis Seraph School

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