HAVELOCK – Students from Annunciation Catholic School created about 40 banners for the Oct. 21 Eucharistic Congress in Raleigh.
The work, which will be displayed at the Raleigh Convention Center during the congress, was part of an art class project for those in grades 6 through 8. The idea came to teacher Eva Glennon when she heard about the event through media and church bulletins. Principal Cathy Tomon and parish pastor Father Jim Buchholz, she added, encouraged her and the students to get involved with the congress through art.
Sixth graders worked on banners that represented the chalice and host, while 7th and 8th graders focused on the monstrance, Glennon said.
The banners, which were completed over the course of four weeks, are about 18 inches by 18 inches and made of fabrics such as cotton and linen. With the help of their teacher and a parent volunteer, the students used acrylic paint, stencils and tools for precision cutting.
“It was great group work,” said Glennon, who noted that the students shared materials and helped one another. “I think they had a lot of fun.”
She said the project led them to learn more about the history of the monstrance, which is a vessel that holds the Eucharist for adoration, and sunburst styles. “It was a little educational journey … the inside is called a luna,” Glennon said.
One of the greatest parts of the project, she said, was how it brought people together.
“At our school we have Mass and, once a month, we have Eucharistic adoration. So, the children are aware of it. It’s 15 minutes of quiet reverence … and it’s for everyone, all the students, whether they are Catholic or not. I wanted them to have unity and learn history.”
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