Local students honor saints through school plays and family stories

Students at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Vermillion are spending their November mornings in the sanctuary.

Erin Midby, a teacher at the school, has established a routine for the past few years. Her students research specific saints during the month. They then integrate those findings into a dramatic presentation for a school Mass.

The performances are not just recitations. The students act out the lives of the figures they studied. After discussing each saint, the group concludes with a shared phrase. They all repeat, “You can be a saint, we can all be saints.”

The tradition aligns with the liturgical calendar. November begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on the first day of the month. The church uses this time to recall the faithful who have lived in every era and location. The Letanías de los Santos, or Litany of the Saints, provides many of the names. This prayer list starts with Mary, Mother of God, and Saint Joseph. It continues with Saints Peter and Paul, the apostles, and major figures like Saint Francis, Saint Clare, and Saint Catherine of Siena.

More recent figures are also included. The list features Saint John Paul II and Saint Teresa of Calcuta. It also names beatified individuals such as Stanley Rother, Francisco Javier Seelos, and Fulton Sheen. The community uses this month to remember these specific people and the countless others who lived in different times and places. Each person used their unique gifts to follow Jesus and share the Kingdom of God with those around them.

The observance extends beyond those with official titles. The church encourages the faithful to consider ordinary people who lived holy lives without formal canonization. These are individuals who practiced their faith simply and discreetly. They are people who put their beliefs into action, whether they are currently alive or have passed away.

One example comes from the personal history of a local priest. He recalls his paternal grandmother, Anna, who died in 1943. He did not meet her personally but heard stories from his father. Anna was married to Matt, who died in 1926 from injuries sustained in a construction accident. Matt was working on a road between Hampton and Farmington when he was hurt.

Medical care in that era was different. Matt died at home, leaving Anna to raise six children on a farm. Her youngest son, the priest’s father, was only six years old. This happened shortly before the Great Depression. Many families lost their land and faced extreme poverty. There was little social support beyond family and neighbors. Anna was determined to keep her family together and move forward.

One story involves early aviation. Pilots used the flat farm land to practice takeoffs and landings. One day, a plane crashed. No one was hurt. Anna quickly realized what had happened. She sent her children to retrieve the engine and store it in the barn. She knew someone would want it back. Soon after, the owner arrived to claim it. Anna was a firm negotiator. She held onto the engine until the owner paid for the potatoes that had been destroyed in the crash. Those potatoes were part of the family’s food supply.

Anna’s faith was the foundation of her strength. She attended Mass every Sunday, prayed the rosary, and participated in other devotions. Her example of determination and resilience was built on this spiritual practice. The community looks to these stories, both of official saints and everyday people, to learn how to respond to the call to be disciples. They are invited to carry the gift of hope into their own daily lives.