SCHOOL NEWS
St. Clement School Celebrates First Three Kings Day
Franciscans throughout the world mark the arrival of the Three Kings January 6th with prayers, a special blessing, and an inscription chalked over the door. This year St. Clement School (St. Bernard, Ohio) celebrated the tradition for the first time.
"In a Franciscan house," says St. Clement pastor Fr. Fred Link, OFM, "the guardian or superior goes through and, in the context of prayer, marks the lintels of each room with the date and the initials CMB (for Casper, Melchior and Balthasar): 20 C+M+B 12." Adapting the transition, Fr. Fred took the part of the superior, going through the school instead of through a house.
"Our principal set the stage, I led a prayer, and we used incense and holy water to bless the students, teachers and the room," he explains.
With three young helpers, Principal Jeff Eiser and Fr. Fred prayed in each room, remembering the journey of the magi. They censed each room and sprinkled it with holy water. Then the student council president marked each lintel with as Fr. Fred prayed, "As we mark the lintel of this room, send send the Angel of Mercy to guard it and to drive out all powers of darkness. Fill the hearts of all here with love and happiness."
The procession made its way through every classroom from preschool through eighth grade. "The kids were very much in awe of what was happening," Fr. Fred reports. "It was a great occasion."
St. Clement School and parish are sponsored by the Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. John the Baptist.
Photos courtesy St. Clement School.
