Three winners have been selected for the essay, TikTok and graphic arts contests during Heritage Month at Newman.
Heritage Month is a time filled with activities celebrating the Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC) founders and St. John Henry Newman. It is a way to honor and celebrate Newman’s Catholic heritage and school spirit, and the contest has been a tradition since Heritage Month’s inception in 2015.
The prompt for this year’s contest was “What advice would St. Maria or St. Newman give to students living in today’s world?”
Each winner was awarded a cash prize for his or her winning work at the Newman Board of Trustees meeting Feb. 23.
Matthew Fowler’s essay submission
Matthew Fowler, a freshman, won for his three-page essay answering the prompt. Throughout his essay, Fowler referenced St. Newman’s “The Idea of a University,” sharing what he believes St. Newman would advise the students of today.
“Saint John Henry Newman would advise students living in today’s world to pursue an education guided by an appreciation of the sacred so that their truly virtuous character may enhance society,” Fowler wrote. “He would advise them to uphold their intellectual integrity, to seek information exempt from the abuses of today’s world; to aim for that which is beyond the mere evasion of evil, that which is good in its own end formed by an awareness of that which is higher.”
He concluded his essay with a quote from Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely.” (The New American Bible, revised edition, 2010)
Beth Griffiths’ winning essay
Beth Griffiths, a junior, won for her essay titled, “A Love Unbound and Free.” She was inspired by her family’s background to write the essay.
“I am half Northern Irish, half English and my mother grew up in Northern Ireland in the throes of the Irish Troubles,” Griffiths said. “If you don’t know anything about that, she’s a Protestant and had a very jaded view of Catholics growing up, is what I’ll say and it kind of filtered into my life a little bit.”
She continued, “Coming to Newman has been amazingly interesting to discover myself, the Catholic tradition, the Catholic importance on saints and figures like St. Maria De Mattias,” Griffith said. “I’ve been trying to educate myself and do my best to take away that generational jadedness and find what these figures like St. Maria De Mattias mean and why they’re important.”
In her essay, Griffiths explored the advice she believes St. Maria De Mattias would give to students today.
“I think she would advise us to look around and see what people need,” Griffiths wrote. “She would ask us to think about the ways we can love people better: being generous with our things, talking to the people that are left out, making an effort to forgive that one person, telling others about this unconditional love of God that they need.”
She encouraged her fellow students to “be practical in our service and bold in our faith.”
If students can do that, “I fully believe we are going to be changing the world for the better in every way,” Griffiths said.
John Suffield wins graphic arts contest third year in a row
Senior John Suffield was the graphic arts winner during Heritage Month.
This is his third year winning for his graphic arts category. He loved being able to express his art two years in a row and jumped at the chance to participate again.
He created a digital illustration of St. Maria De Mattias with her quote “I feel with you in what you are suffering and asking God to make you strong. Don’t be afraid for the work is God’s and it develops amid thorns.”
“I am very thankful for Sister Therese (Wetta) for doing this every year,” Suffield said with gratitude.
