The Power of Prayer- Sarah Striemer, Saint John Vianney (SJV) School Principal

When I first started as a principal, I kept getting the feeling that the students and I should start saying the Rosary before school one morning a week. We would pray for SJV school, students, teachers, staff, and families. It started with a very small group of kids (my own kids and another family). We would meet in the gym and have chairs set up in hopes that more people would join us. That year it started very slowly.  

The next year, I decided that when the weather was nice we would gather around the flagpole and say the Rosary. This was a beautiful testament to the community of our peaceful and prayerful start to the day. Eventually, we were able to create an outdoor classroom where we all gather to say the Rosary in the mornings. All our students come, either at 7:40AM or as they are being dropped off for school to say the Rosary. The students take turns saying the decades and it is quite beautiful.  

 

Adoration is something that I have grown to love as an adult and want to share that love with our students. Since we have adoration that begins by 6:00 AM and runs into the late evening each day, it is fairly easy to find time each day to sit in the quiet and pray. A few years ago during Lent, I took classes to adoration once a week to give them a feel for how it went, what they should do, and give them an opportunity to just listen in the quiet. At first, adoration is hard because of the quiet, but then the kids start to really crave it. Last year, we did an hour of adoration one day a week during Lent from 7:00-8:00 AM. Students and parents could come for the whole time or a few minutes, whatever worked for them that morning. At first, it was just a few, then it grew to more and more. This year, we will be doing a Holy Hour each week from 7:00-8:00 AM and it will be open to all our students and parents.   

A few years ago, we were searching for a teacher and the outlook was quite bleak. Father Beerman told me to start saying the Novena to St. Therese. He told me about how his mom would always say it and on the 9th day she would smell roses. We began saying it: the students would say it every morning, parents were saying it at home, the parishioners were saying it, we would start meetings with it. After a few rounds of the Novena, I received flowers from a student one day and a teacher prospect! We have continued to use that Novena whenever we are praying for a teacher. This year, it worked again!   

Since we began having a more intentional prayer life at SJV, many wonderful things have happened. People are giving financial gifts that are unbelievable. Students are happy. Parents are happy. Teachers are happy. We have been able to offer fully funded preschool the past two years, along with fully funded Kindergarten. We were able to give our offices and teachers’ lounge a much-needed update this summer. We have an awesome outdoor classroom. Our scholarship fund is very healthy. Students are learning and loving Jesus every day-just as we intend.