"What did you learn this year that was meaningful to you?"  The following are replies to this question given by fifth-graders from one of our schools in Nashville:
 

I have learned to follow in God's way.  Pray, Love others, and Forgive them.  My Religion Text book taught me a lot.  But when we read the Gospel of John and saw the movie of St. John my faith really, really deepened.  Now, when I get older I want to be a priest and spread the good news of God.

I learned that sisters and priests aren't closed off from the world and if I became a priest I could do a lot more than pray all day.  It strengthened my relationship with God because I could become a priest and still do lots of fun things and it helped me know if I give my life to God it won't be boring.

Jesus!  Sister you have made me realize how great and powerful He is and you have helped me to pray for my vocation and I have prayed and I think I will someday become a sister.  My name, I hope, will be Sister Marie Rose O.P.

I have learned in the school year about the Mass.  The Mass is one big prayer and that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and is always with us.

Now that we have learned about the virtues it helps me know what I have to do in life and how I need to act towards others, God, and anything that God has made.  I think that they could help me in the future because if I start using the virtues or doing them they might help me become more like God.

I learned that praying isn't just to get help it's to grow closer to Jesus and ask him what He wants.

Learning about martyrs has made a difference to me in living my faith and has deepened my relationship with Jesus.  It has because when we learned about martyrs I kept asking myself if I loved Jesus enough that I would die rather than give up my faith in him and I decided I would if I ever had to and it made me actually want to do it or die for him so that I may meet him face to face in glory.

What I have learned is that the weight of one Mass is greater then anything on earth.  It will help me, for now I know nothing can compare to a Mass.

I never knew that everything in the Mass had a purpose.  I always thought that it was just there, now I know the Mass is one big prayer.  In the future it'll help me pray the Mass not just be there.

The new saint that was canonized, the one who didn't abort her baby made a difference to me because I was like, "Wow, this is how much we need to love each other, because Jesus loves us as much as that lady loved her baby."

I have learned about The Mass and Holy Orders which has strengthened my faith and made me see what was happening at Mass more clearly and made me consider being a missionary.