J.E. Cosgriff students create a Holy Door for their school

Friday, Jan. 15, 2016

By Martina Gehrig 

 

 

SALT LAKE CITY — Teaching the necessity for mercy and compassion to middle-schoolers can be a daunting task, even in a Catholic school. For weeks prior to the start of Pope Francis’s Jubilee Year of Mercy, sixth-grade students at J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School prepared  for the Holy Year by learning more about the pope’s wishes for all Catholics, as well as the symbols on the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. 

With the goal of identifying moments of mercy, students took a closer look at the 16 bronze panels of the Holy Door and began piecing together the Church’s history of salvation. As they learned the meaning within each panel’s story and the symbol of the open door – walking from this world into the presence of God – a wish for the class’ very own Holy Door was born. 

With the beautiful door in Rome as their model, sixth-graders dove into interpreting and recreating the 16 artistic panels on the Holy Door. Visitors to the classroom witnessed students huddled around Latin reference books and Bibles, attempting to translate the inscriptions stamped in each panel. 

After several days of sketching and shading with charcoal, students shared their panels with their classmates, retelling the story of man’s sin and his redemption through God’s mercy. 

The sixth-grade replica of the Holy Door is now displayed outside the gym at J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School. It stands as a reminder that all who enter are safe and loved, and already have the courage to be merciful and compassionate with themselves and others.

Martina Gehrig is a sixth-grade religion teacher at J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School.