Cardinal Newman High making Mary a priority
Project aims to spread her likeness throughout school
By Lois K. Solomon | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 22, 2009
WEST PALM BEACH - At Cardinal Newman High School, it's all about Mary.
The Mary Project, brainchild of Assistant Principal Susan Stephenson, will place a donated statue of the Virgin Mary in each of the school's 60 classrooms. But that's just the beginning: A painting of Mary has been placed prominently in the school's entry hallway, a paper-chain rosary with students' written prayer requests gets additions daily and parents are making necklaces with Miraculous Medals, said to bring grace through Mary's intercession, for each of the school's 770 students.
"We are so glad her presence is being brought back here," parent Winnie Azqueta said. "The kids get bombarded outside of school with negative influences. This is a backup, a reminder they can pray. It's bringing them a positive consciousness and a moral foundation."
Azqueta said Mary plays a prominent role in her prayer life: After giving birth to two boys, she said she desperately wanted a girl. She went to Medjugorje, a shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina where apparitions of Mary have been reported, and later gave birth to a girl, whom she named Maryena, who is now a Newman junior.
Related links
The Mary Project
Mary, the mother of Jesus, plays an assortment of roles for Catholics, including exemplar of faith and devotion, political player in the life of Jesus and advocate for the disenfranchised, said Edward Sunshine, a theology professor at Barry University. In difficult economic times, Sunshine said, Mary gains additional prominence among Catholics.
"Mary always identifies with people in trouble, the poor, the oppressed," Sunshine said. "In times like these, Catholics turn to her as an anchor, a place where they can find hope."
Stephenson graduated from Newman in 1970 and remembers statues of Mary throughout the school. When she returned as a teacher in 2002 she noticed they were gone, but she said nothing for a few years. She said she has felt deeply connected to Mary for years: She believes she survived a brutal pregnancy because she held a Miraculous Medal when she was sick.
As a term paper for her Catholic school administration certification program a year ago, Stephenson proposed The Mary Project and showed it to her superiors, who agreed to support it.
The school has collected 10 statues so far, as well as a donation for Stephenson to buy 16 more at about $100 each. The school also received a donation for 900 rosaries and 900 scapulars for students and staff. Stephenson made a video to show students how to say the rosary and emphasize its meditative spirit.
Student Elizabeth Kenney said she has been praying the rosary more often since she saw the video.
"My family has been having a lot of health issues, and I've found it makes me feel calmer about it," said Kenney, 17, a senior.
Stephenson said the goal is to show students the blessings Mary can bring them if they are faithful and morally centered.
"My dream would be for every Catholic school to have a Mary Project," Stephenson said. "But we start here."
Lois Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6536.
Project aims to spread her likeness throughout school
By Lois K. Solomon | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 22, 2009
WEST PALM BEACH - At Cardinal Newman High School, it's all about Mary.
The Mary Project, brainchild of Assistant Principal Susan Stephenson, will place a donated statue of the Virgin Mary in each of the school's 60 classrooms. But that's just the beginning: A painting of Mary has been placed prominently in the school's entry hallway, a paper-chain rosary with students' written prayer requests gets additions daily and parents are making necklaces with Miraculous Medals, said to bring grace through Mary's intercession, for each of the school's 770 students.
"We are so glad her presence is being brought back here," parent Winnie Azqueta said. "The kids get bombarded outside of school with negative influences. This is a backup, a reminder they can pray. It's bringing them a positive consciousness and a moral foundation."
Azqueta said Mary plays a prominent role in her prayer life: After giving birth to two boys, she said she desperately wanted a girl. She went to Medjugorje, a shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina where apparitions of Mary have been reported, and later gave birth to a girl, whom she named Maryena, who is now a Newman junior.
Related links
The Mary Project
Mary, the mother of Jesus, plays an assortment of roles for Catholics, including exemplar of faith and devotion, political player in the life of Jesus and advocate for the disenfranchised, said Edward Sunshine, a theology professor at Barry University. In difficult economic times, Sunshine said, Mary gains additional prominence among Catholics.
"Mary always identifies with people in trouble, the poor, the oppressed," Sunshine said. "In times like these, Catholics turn to her as an anchor, a place where they can find hope."
Stephenson graduated from Newman in 1970 and remembers statues of Mary throughout the school. When she returned as a teacher in 2002 she noticed they were gone, but she said nothing for a few years. She said she has felt deeply connected to Mary for years: She believes she survived a brutal pregnancy because she held a Miraculous Medal when she was sick.
As a term paper for her Catholic school administration certification program a year ago, Stephenson proposed The Mary Project and showed it to her superiors, who agreed to support it.
The school has collected 10 statues so far, as well as a donation for Stephenson to buy 16 more at about $100 each. The school also received a donation for 900 rosaries and 900 scapulars for students and staff. Stephenson made a video to show students how to say the rosary and emphasize its meditative spirit.
Student Elizabeth Kenney said she has been praying the rosary more often since she saw the video.
"My family has been having a lot of health issues, and I've found it makes me feel calmer about it," said Kenney, 17, a senior.
Stephenson said the goal is to show students the blessings Mary can bring them if they are faithful and morally centered.
"My dream would be for every Catholic school to have a Mary Project," Stephenson said. "But we start here."
Lois Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6536.
Come to think of it - I'll promote the Blessed Virgin Mary in each room in my home (including in the garage.) .... I'm playing in the dirt, working on my Marian garden in our backyard. 
I'll post the Marian garden photos here in 2-3 months. 