The 6th grade students at St. Didacus Parish School have taken on quite a task.  Their mission is to help the missions, and to teach the other grades at their school about the importance of tithing. For one day, these 6th grade students became the teachers, giving a lesson on God’s message to give to others, helping those in need.

On Tuesday, September 4th, each class got a lesson in the numerical value of ten percent.  “What is ten percent?” they asked. They demonstrated with two volunteers. One of them got 10 M&Ms candies, and this person was told to give one M&M to the other person.  “This is ten percent. It shows how little it is compared to the total number of candies the first volunteer has, and it shows how happy the second person is to have received the gift.  So there are two very good things that come with just one gift.”

Once the students understood this concept, the 6th graders showed them how it relates to Mark 12: 41-44, “The Widow’s Offering.”  A poor widow may have given only two pennies to help the church, but Jesus took note that she actually gave more than all that the very wealthy people had donated, simply because she had given almost all of what she had.  The church doesn’t ask its members to give everything they have, but through tithing, they are able to give enough to notice the value of their gift.

The 6th graders had decorated mission envelopes for the kids to bring home.  They were to look for loose coins around the house, or any extra money that there may be, and then bring that money back with them the following day for a special collection at the first whole-school Mass of the year.  Through this school-wide collection, the students were able to raise $318, which was donated to help the Missionary Childhood Association: “Children Helping Children.”

With just a short lesson to the school on the value of giving, the St. Didacus 6th Graders made not only a valuable impression on their fellow students, but will also make the children of the Missionary Childhood Association very happy as the recipient of their gifts.