St. Mary's Students on a "Journey to Sainthood"

Students in Mrs. Shea’s and Miss Perry’s 8th grade religion classes recently completed a creative and faith-filled project titled “Journey to Sainthood.” The lesson invited students to imagine what their lives might look like if they were to become saints.

As part of the project, each student wrote a detailed biography tracing their journey from birth to canonization. These biographies highlighted moments of growth, faith, and service, allowing students to reflect on how ordinary lives can be lived in extraordinary holiness.

To accompany their written work, students used photo transformation tools in ChatGPT to create artistic portraits of themselves as saints. Each portrait incorporated religious symbols and personal elements that represented their imagined saintly patronage—such as books for wisdom, sports equipment for perseverance, or rosaries and crosses for devotion.

Mrs. Shea and Miss Perry explained that the project was designed to help students see sainthood as something within reach. “We wanted our students to understand that becoming a saint isn’t about perfection—it’s something attainable by living your faith everyday,” they shared.

The Journey to Sainthood project also served as a meaningful introduction to the students’ upcoming Confirmation preparation, during which each 8th grader will choose a confirmation saint whose life and virtues inspire them.

Through this imaginative and reflective exercise, students discovered that the call to holiness begins now—and that each person’s journey to sainthood is uniquely their own.

Saint Riley

Saint Bradley

Saint Diego

Saint Ava

Saint Gia

Saint Bean

St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point serves students from Junior Pre-K (for three-year-olds) through eighth grade. The school’s famous Spaghetti Supper will take place on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.  For information call 663-0676.