By Christina Bagaglio Slentz, Ph.D.
In October, we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis, for whom Pope Leo XIV declared 2026 a Jubilee Year, recognizing the 800th anniversary of his death.
Several parishes celebrated with blessings of the animals. St. Charles Borromeo in San Diego inaugurated its first parish St. Francis Festival, serving Fair Trade coffee, offering a clothing swap to demonstrate sustainability, and blessing their animals, highlighting St. Francis as a saint who calls us to remember the poor and care for the gift of creation.
About 70 students participated in our annual Season of Creation “For the Beauty of the Earth” art contest for diocesan children and youth. Submissions were evaluated on both artistic creativity as well as their descriptions of spiritual inspiration. It was very hard to choose, but the winners were:
Grades 4-5:
- Tied for First Place: Vincent Slagle (Mater Dei) and Emilia Nuza (Mater Dei)
- Second Place: Alfonso Cota (Mater Dei)
Grades 6-8:
- First Place: Daniela Contreras (Mater Dei)
- Tied for Second Place: Adryan Miller (St. Therese Academy) and Joseph Kirschbaun (St. Therese Academy)
Grades 9-10:
- First Place: Rowena Reyes (Academy of Our Lady of Peace)
- Second Place: Luisa Jimenez (Academy of Our Lady of Peace)
Grades 11-12:
- First Place: Grace Paine (Academy of Our Lady of Peace)
- Second Place: Lisette Cabrera (Academy of Our Lady of Peace)
We congratulate all the students who participated! Watch for our call for submissions next May.
If you would like to learn more about Franciscan spirituality in this Jubilee year and care for our common home, you can always join us on Zoom on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. See the event listed on the Creation Care webpage. Reach out to Christina Slentz with any questions at cslentz@sdcatholic.org.
