Despite the excitement that goes with the last day of classes before Spring Break,  Academy students and faculty came together to celebrate Holy Week on Wednesday morning, March 27.  A slide show of the mission trips preceded the Stations of the Cross,  which provided students an opportunity to reflect on the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.

Students entered the Brady Center in silence to a slide presentation of photos taken the week before during Academy’s mission trips to the Dominican Republic, Appalachia, Jonestown, and Ruskin. Photos of the new mission Heart of Tampa trip drew special attention from the audience as it made its debut during the traditional Holy Week slide show presentation.

Sister Mary Patricia Plumb explained that the arrangement of slides and narration provided details of each mission trip.  “The presentation did a good of a job as possible for showing people who weren’t able to experience the mission trips.  The slides showed our students’ way of the cross by helping those who suffer or by repairing their homes or feeding them. This slideshow is a thank you to them.”

After the mission trip slideshow, slides began the Stations of the Cross, which include fourteen stations that Catholics recognize in order to remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Students from both the lower school and high school led the responses from the congregation, including a prayer pertaining to each station. Then a brief psalm was sung by all participants following each prayer.

The memory of Jesus and the slides of the work done by Academy missionaries served as a powerful reminders of the meaning of Holy Week, inspiring  AHN students and faculty to go out in their communities and lend a helping hand.