St. Pius Elementary School Faculty and Staff Prepare for the School Year in Service to the Community
Instead of starting the 2022-23 school year with a traditional in-service for faculty and staff, St. Pius Elementary took their teachers out - in service to the community!
On August 5th, St. Pius Elementary’s entire faculty and staff gathered for Mass at St. Pius Catholic Church. After Mass, fifty-seven individuals traveled to seven different service sites across of Catholic Charities of Acadiana’s campuses as well as the DesOrmeaux Foundation for two and a half hours of service.
“Never before has Catholic Charities of Acadiana received an entire teaching staff of fifty-seven teachers to serve throughout our programs on a single day. It was so inspiring, provided real help to our programs, and filled us all with hope!”- Sarah Baquet, Community Engagement Coordinator for Catholic Charities of Acadiana
Service concluded with small group reflections, food, fellowship, fun, and a few inspirational talks.
“Not only was it an opportunity to build community and relationships as a staff, but we also were able to get out of the walls of our school and reach out to the needs of the community around us. As educators, we speak often to our students about bringing the love of Christ to others. We challenge our students to live as servant leaders, but it is impossible to teach our students to live in service to others if we do not do so ourselves. Working with Catholic Charities gave each of us an opportunity to witness the needs of our community around us. We were able to grow as a faculty as we learned to work together as a team. Each of us gained a deeper desire to serve our neighbors, and we all left feeling as though there was still so much more work to be done. Our goal and hope in our new year is to continue to build a culture of compassion and service among our faculty and students, and our day of service marked a great starting point as we share the love of Christ throughout our community.”-Kristen Lazarine, Religion Administrator, St. Pius Elementary School
Catholic Charities of Acadiana is so grateful to have received this wholehearted engagement from St. Pius Elementary, and we look forward to receiving other schools who want to do the same! Check out our TikTok from this fantastic day of service!
Got questions regarding volunteering with Catholic Charities of Acadiana? Reach out to our Community Engagement Coordinator, Sarah Baquet, at (337) 235-4972 ext. 1222 or sarahb@catholiccharitiesacadiana.org.