In a wonderful celebration of the Easter season, the First Holy Communion boys and girls at the Colégio Nossa Senhora do Sagrado Coração in São Paulo, Brazil, sent some very special pictures to share with school children here in the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
The Colégio Nossa Senhora do Sagrado Coração is a Catholic school run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and was founded in 1949 before moving to its current location in Vila Formosa in 1961. At the moment, there are around 500 students at the school, ranging in age from nursery infants to high-school teenagers.
“The school is not only a place to study, but also a place where students learn about faith, kindness, respect, and helping others,” writes Sr Renisa. “Many parents work long hours in the city, so the school becomes an important place where children feel safe, cared for, and supported.”
There are several different types of challenges facing many of the children who attend the school, including living in a very busy urban area, not having space to play outside, parents having to work long hours away from home, and great differences in what families can afford, with poverty being an issue for many. The school offers a safe space to nurture strong friendships, to learn, play, and grow with friends, to be part of a community that helps one another, and to be guided by carding teachers and Sisters.
“For many children, the school is like a second home,” says Sr Renisa. “It helps them learn, dream about the future, and feel loved and supported.”
The First Holy Communion classes at the school were kind enough to send us a fabulous selection of pictures, showing traditional Easter scenes from Brazil, perfect for colouring in. Wishing all the staff and students at the Colégio Nossa Senhora do Sagrado Coração a peaceful, happy, and blessed Easter!
