SPIRITUAL LIFE

Eucharistic Celebrations

Since the Mass is the principal act of Catholic worship, all Catholic families enrolled in St. Vincent de Paul School are expected to share faithfully in the Saturday/Sunday celebration of the Eucharist.

Strong encouragement is given to all the families to attend the 5:15 p.m. Mass each Saturday.  They have a special Liturgy of the Word for children.  On the first Sunday of each month, refreshments will be served in the parish hall after the 8:00 a.m.  Mass.

On all Holy Days, First Fridays, and special occasions, Liturgies for the whole student body are held in St. Vincent de Paul Church.  A schedule of religious events is listed in the school calendar, which is on the svdpsf.org  website.  The parents are always welcome and are invited to attend every liturgical celebration

Students at Saint Vincent de Paul enjoy a very rich spiritual life.  Their day begins in the school yard each morning with morning prayer.  Each grade is responsible for writing the Gospel message of the day, petitions, and ending with a formal prayer for an entire month. When the month ends, the next grade level takes over the creation of the prayers for the next month, and so on.  When they enter their classrooms, the say their morning pledge, which is something that class has written to remind them to be more like Jesus each day.

At lunch and dismissal, the students also say prayers.  Additionally, the students have the opportunity to prepare and participate in para-liturgies.  In October they focus on praying the Rosary.  On the feast of All Saints we have a Saints' parade.  In December they perform a beautiful Christmas program in the Church.  In January, we have prayer-services for Catholic Schools Week and have Stations of the Cross during Lent.  In May, our student council leads us in the May Crowning of our Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our students study religion every day where they learn about the Old and New Testament, Church History, and the life of Christ.  They learn the basic teachings of the Catholic Church and learn how to apply them to their every day life.

In second grade they receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist.  In 7th and 8th grade our students receive the Sacrament of Confirmation every other year.  They learn what it means to be an adult member of the church and how to put the needs of others before their own. It is at this time that they truly commit themselves to community service.

Our School is full of religious statues and symbols that help to reinforce the Catholic identity of our school and our students. They receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a school twice a year and many of our students participate in mini-retreats.

Most importantly, our students do their best to live as Christians: they resolve their conflicts peacefully, they support one another, try to make good choices for themselves, and help others.  Our students begin to learn how to be an altar server during the second semester of fifth grade.  Both girls and boys, Catholics and non-Catholics are welcome to serve at the altar of Saint Vincent de Paul Church.