by Katie Vasquez
Blackboards and chalk are not uncommon in schools, but mini boards are staying outside the classroom at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy. The signs are a way to bring good tidings into the new year.
Students at the Forest Hills school are beginning their first days of classes in 2025 in prayer while their Pastor Emeritus, Monsignor John McGuirl blesses chalked plaques for Our Lady of Mercy’s classrooms.
The mini blackboards are the school’s take on a centuries-old Epiphany tradition, where Catholics mark their homes with sacred signs and symbols to ask God for his blessing on their home, those who live in it, and those who visit.
Many of the students say they follow this custom at home, but doing it at school feels extra special.
“It made me feel like Jesus is here and he’s with me,” Phoenix Berkin-Albers, a 2nd grader at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy, tells Currents News.
“The idea of it is that people that come into this building, this academy, are searching out Christ, trying to find out about Christ, trying to get close to him. And that’s what the Wise Men were essentially doing,” said Monsignor John McGuirl of Our Lady of Mercy Church.
“I definitely feel proud of doing it and definitely probably more blessed and just inspired to continue my religious faith,” says AnnMarie Dry, a 7th grader at the school.
The boards will stay up until next year, ensuring Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy stays a sacred space for all.