Students, faculty, and staff of Mother of Sorrows celebrated the 4th Annual Founders’ Festival on Friday, March 22nd. Our school community gathered with the Our Lady of Talpa community at their campus to take part in what has become a beloved tradition.
The Founders’ Festival is a day-long celebration to honor our founders through prayer, service, and fellowship.
This tradition began in May 2010 when Mother of Sorrows School visited Our Lady of Talpa School to honor our founders – St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton – and to celebrate what is means to be a Vincentian. In May 2011, our other two sister Daughters of Charity schools in Los Angeles (St. Vincent School and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal School) became involved. Mother of Sorrows School has now visited and celebrated our founders with each school.
To prepare for the event, Student Council members from both schools met to plan and prepare the pep rally. Teachers from both schools gathered to meet and pair by grade level to plan a service project that their classes would complete during the Festival. Following this meeting, classes from each school exchanged letters or visited one another using Skype. Classes also prepared for their service projects, practiced songs for Mass, and rehearsed cheers for the pep rally.
Students were given Founders’ Festival t-shirts to wear on that day to commemorate the event. While each t-shirt had the same design, each class was assigned a different t-shirt color. This helped bring both schools together as one community.
On the day of the Founders’ Festival, Fr. David Nations, C.M. celebrated Mass. This Eucharistic celebration provides time for both communities to come together and reflect on how our service to others brings us closer to God. St. Louise de Marillac said, “At Holy Communion, I was moved to make an act of faith … I was greatly consoled by the thought that God wished that, despite my unworthiness, I should help my neighbor to know Him.” Student leaders from both schools served in various roles during the Mass.
Following Mass, the schools came together for a pep rally complete with Vincentian cheers led by both Student Council Presidents. Before the end of the pep rally, everyone was out of their seat, excitedly cheering.
Each grade pair then dispersed to complete service projects and share fellowship. Service projects included collecting school supplies for Para Los Ninos, supporting service initiatives at Maryvale, creating care packages for Women in Crisis, making sandwiches for Midnight Mission, wrapping silverware for St. Francis Center, and planting flower boxes for both school communities. Each grade pair also prayed together and used an icebreaker activity to get to know one another better.
The day concluded with a picnic lunch that gave students time with their new friends and Vincentian family members.
We look forward to continuing this wonderful tradition in the future with our Vincentian brothers and sisters.
St. Vincent School, we’ll see you next year!
