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"Something Beautiful for God"

Student: Evelyn C.
OCS fifth grader, Evelyn, reflects on her favorite Saint Mother Teresa quote.
 
Do you know there is a quote from Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta painted in the hallway on the wall across from the chapel? The quote reads, “Maybe I can’t do what you can do. Maybe you can’t do what I can do, but together, we can do something beautiful for God.” This quote inspires students of Overbrook Catholic School to work together in teams instead of thinking they can do everything by themselves. As Mrs. Meg Neeley, our purchasing manager, says, “I think students ... follow the quote by following their own interests and using their specific talents to serve others or the school. Some students sing in the choir, others share their academic abilities by being on teams, some who like to be in front of an audience contribute by being on the Forensics team or reading in Mass.” 

You might ask yourself, why is it there? When was it painted? Who wanted it there? Sister Marie Blanchette O.P., the current principal of Overbrook Catholic, says, “When I was principal from 2005-2011, I wanted to add inspirational quotes in the hallways.” The quote was painted during the 2008-2009 school year by Dominican Sisters.  I believe the wall outside the chapel was a good place for the quote to go because it is a very holy place, students visit and see it a lot, and the wall that it is on was really the only wall in the school that was big enough, but not filled with bulletin boards. If you did not know, there is another saying painted on a wall throughout the school. Across from the library, there is a Bible verse painted on the wall. It says, ‘“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope (Jer. 29:11).'"

All the students here at Overbrook Catholic follow the virtues and principles behind this quote, like courtesy, friendship, and respect. As Sr. Marie Blanchette O.P. says, “Mother Teresa is reminding us that God gave each of us special gifts and talents and that we can use them to serve God." Fifth grader Paige told me, “Not everyone has the same talent. But, if we put our talents together, we can make something nobody can imagine.” These two quotations show how much Overbrook Catholic students want to use their talents, not somebody else's, to praise God. As well, they also want to work together. Additionally, Ruth, a new fifth-grade student this year, explained to me, “Everyone has their own unique qualities. God made everyone special and with their own talents.” Hopefully, now, you can see, even other students admit how this quote inspires them.  

As I explained to you, this quote inspires Overbrook Catholic School students because they see it every day, and even if they do not see it or read it themselves, a friend will. If that friend tells them, they will tell another person, and so on and so on. This way, everyone in the school will hopefully know about this quote and its meaning at some point. As fifth-grade student Conner states, “We work together [better] as a team. When we are one person, we do not work as well.” As you can see, this quote from St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta inspires everyone to work together as a team. Fifth grader Perpetua says, “We work better together!"
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