Mount Carmel Students Show Support for Japan Earthquake Victims

The destruction caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan has impacted people across the planet, including students at .

Students at the Essex school wanted to help, and have been donating their snack money toward the relief efforts. In addition, the students have offered spiritual and symbolic support.

On Monday, students and faculty decorated the church at Mount Carmel with 1,000 origami cranes as a part of that symbolic support. Part of a prayer service for Japan, the cranes hung from the choir loft, the windowsills and each pew.  More decorated the altar. Students even sent their own wishes heavenward for the Japanese as they continue to deal with the tragedy in their country, where tens of thousands perished in the natural disaster.

Student Natalie Fitch said the idea for making the origami cranes came after students read the story Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes as they learned about Japanese culture and beliefs—especially the belief that one who created 1,000 paper cranes would be granted a wish.

Father John Rapisarda walked to the altar beside students carrying dowels with origami cranes and two crosses that stated the message in both Japanese and English: “Today, we are all Japanese.” 

As part of the service, student Briana Smith offered a prayer of peace and that the Japanese find comfort and have hope during these tragic days.

“May we have peace in our hearts that keep open our hearts for one another,” she said.

Sydney Sebour read a scripture passage, reminding the congregation that everyone’s body has different parts, each with a specific job to do. The passage compared all participants as part of God’s one body, each having their own job to do, concluding with the verse, “When one suffers, all suffer; when one celebrates, all celebrate.”

Rapisarda’s homily clarified for the children the example of all Catholics being one family of God and how we all suffer or celebrate as one. He also asked the students to imagine the terrors the Japanese have gone through, using the reading as a reminder that, though there were thousands of miles between them,  they too were part of the one body suffering with those in Japan. 

Rapisarda also reminded students they have three ways to support the Japanese: prayer, fasting and alms giving. He shared the box containing the alms —their week’s snack money that had been collected—that would be forwarded to Catholic Relief Services to support fellow Christians across the sea. 

Rapisarda explained how fasting—giving up something as a show of strength—could be offered to the Lord to pass strength to those suffering. Lastly, he explained how the incense smoke rising is a visual expression of how prayers rise to God’s ear.

The service concluded with the song “Go Make a Difference,” whose refrain summed up the tone of the service: “Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.”