School kids exhibit Pope-inspired art

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Students in Catholic schools in Pangasinan province exhibited their artworks and memorabilia here on Jan. 8 in honor of Pope Francis, a week before he began his visit to the country.

The two-day exhibit, which also featured photographs, religious items and reading materials on the life of the Pope and the Catholic Church, was inspired by the papal visit’s theme “Mercy and Compassion.”

“This is the first time for the archdiocesan Catholic schools (ACS) to [stage this exhibit]. It’s small but for us, it’s already a big leap to show … that the Catholic Church in the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese is really alive through the Catholic schools,” said Juan Primitivo Petrola, principal of St. John’s Cathedral School in Dagupan City.

Two grade school pupils leaf through one of the reading materials displayed in the booth of St. Charles Academy of San Carlos City during the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools’ exhibit in Lingayen town in Pangasinan province. Some of the items on Pope Francis were exhibited at the school. WILLIE LOMIBAO/CONTRIBUTOR

At least 26 schools from the archdiocese joined the exhibit, which was also part of the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week.

The Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese, led by Archbishop Socrates Villegas, is one of the three dioceses in the province.

Fr. Manuel Bravo of the Lingayen-Dagupan ACS said the theme of the papal visit was adopted for this year’s celebration to instill the value of sharing among the students.

Rommel Sanchez, a high school teacher of St. Charles Academy in San Carlos City, said students and teachers from his school collaborated in putting up their exhibit, which was composed of sliced corncobs that were dyed with various colors.

“Our backdrop is inspired by the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, and we decorated it with sketches depicting the Pope, painted it with the papal visit logo and added photos showing the different outreach programs of our school, such as feeding programs, teaching street children and gift giving,” Sanchez said.

For its exhibit, the Mary Help of Christians Catholic School in Basista town displayed homemade soap bars with the colorful papal visit logos embossed on them.

Petrola said the students’ projects were aimed at teaching them how to relate their lives as individual persons to the theme of mercy and compassion.

“This is what Pope Francis wants to happen with our lives as Catholics. In our exhibits, we are showing that through simple activities, we are able to teach our students the right values,” he said.

Petrola, who was one of the more than 100 Pangasinan Catholic school teachers and administrators attending the Mass in Luneta, said he was excited to to see the Pope in person.

“But more than that, we’re excited to hear his message to Filipinos, especially these times that our country was hit by different calamities. We would like to see him as an icon of hope, being the representative of Christ here on earth,” he said.

Bravo said the Pope’s visit is a renewal of faith. “For those who sometimes forget [God], we need this occasion for us to return to God. And for those who did not forget God, the Pope’s visit will strengthen their faith. This is what we need in the world today,” he said. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Central Luzon