Eighth-grade students from St. Francis Xavier host a meal for seniors of their parish

Johna Fackler, above, serves guests at the Feb. 13 dinner

for The Record

Eighth-grade students from St. Francis Xavier Church in Mt. Washington, Ky., served a Valentine’s-themed dinner to the senior citizens of their parish on Feb. 13.

The students are part of the church’s religious education program, and the dinner is one event the eighth-graders participate in as part of their confirmation formation program. The eighth-graders buy the groceries, plan the menu, prepare the meal, serve the dinner and clean up after the guests leave.

The weekend before the dinner, students sell donuts after Mass to raise money to pay for the food, said Darlene Fowler, coordinator of the religious education program at St. Francis Xavier.

“Participating in activities like this dinner are important for the students, because they learn it’s better to give than to receive,” said Fowler.

Before confirmation, students take part in a number of service actvities to help the people of the parish and others and to earn service hours. But the point of the service hours is not just the total number, said Teresa Buky, the parish’s confirmation teacher. It’s more about the experiences gained, she said.

“Once they are confirmed, it’s just the beginning of a lifelong journey with Christ,” said Buky.

Fowler agrees.

“The service doesn’t stop there,” she said. “Stewardship is a lifelong process.”

Other activities students have participated in include working at the Santa Workshop, serving at the parish’s Hunger Awareness dinner and making prayer blankets for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

For more than a decade, the confirmation class has been hosting these dinners for the senior citizens of the parish. Twyla Mills has been involved in the program since the beginning and now leads the effort.

“When my son was in eighth grade, I volunteered as a parent,” said Mills. “I continue to volunteer because the kids love it. Several students have said it’s the highlight of the confirmation program.”

The religious education program had to expand from one dinner per year to two to accommodate the number of students who wanted to volunteer for the event. The original dinner is held before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Parishioner Les Taylor said he’s been coming to the dinner for about five years.

“I think what the kids are doing is great. They really do an excellent job,” said Taylor. “It teaches them how to work together.”

It’s not just the parishioners who have a good time at the dinner. The students who do the cooking, serving and cleaning said they enjoy working together and serving their parish.

“It’s a lot of fun. I get to spend time with friends while we are cooking, and then I get to spend time with the seniors during dinner,” said Abi Duncan, eighth-grade student. “It’s always nice to volunteer around church.”

Father Scott Wimsett, pastor of St. Francis Xavier, noted that service is part of the call of the Gospels.“This dinner is intimately tied to the Eucharist we celebrate at Mass,” said Father Wimsett. “We have a daily commitment to live like Jesus Christ.”

by Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer