SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church of 136 Washington St. is a long-standing and close-knit parish here in Auburn, devoted to their faith and also to their wonderful grade school. They have so much good news to share with us.

* Last Sunday, SS. Peter and Paul School offered its annual Ukrainian dinner. They served peroghi, kielbasa, kapusta and pigs in the blanket. What a treat! A lot of work goes into making these. My grandmother used to make these delicious foods for us, and today we still enjoy them at Christmas and Easter and special occasions. Mrs. Nora Chindamo, who has served the hot lunch program at SS. Peter and Paul for 34 years, makes all of the food for this event, with the help of parishioners and parents. She is so dedicated and such a lovely person. She also ran the cafeteria at Holy Family School for many years, when we were in school there. I can still recall she made the biggest and best peanut butter cookies I ever had. I ran into her over the holidays and she is so very proud of SS. Peter and Paul School and said, “You really should come and see all of the great things going on at the school.”

Wonderful people like Mrs. Chindamo make small schools feel like home.

* Congratulations to the following students from SS. Peter and Paul School whose Black History Month essays were chosen by the Auburn Human Rights Commission members: grade 5, Katie Baumes for “Chester Thomas;” grade 5, Eric Klock for “Josh Middleton;” grade 6, Chelsea Diehl for “Thurgood Marshall;” and grade 8, Veronica Pysnack for “Harriet Tubman.”

Today marks the completion of Catholic Schools Week for which we have so many reasons to celebrate here in Auburn, with SS. Peter and Paul School, St. Joseph's School and Tyburn Academy.

* SS. Peter and Paul School celebrated with activities throughout the week such as an open house, a “Make your own Sundae” day, Scholastic Book Fair, Funny Hat Day, collection of canned goods for the food pantry, and “Sports Day.”

* On Thursday, the eighth-grade students spent time teaching a class to the younger students. The students and all faculty attended the First Friday Liturgy, followed by a visit from the Rev. Ivan Kaszcak, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Syracuse, to talk to the students about vocations. The week ended with a movie night for grades sixth through eighth at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Essays and posters about the theme of the week which was “Character, Compassion and Values” are on display in the school cafeteria.

* St. Joseph's School at 89 East Genesee St., Auburn, had many events going on to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. St. Joseph's School is supported by the six Roman Catholic churches of Auburn. Many of the students participated in the liturgies at their churches this weekend, as a way to remind everyone of the start of Catholic Schools Week and to thank the parishes for their continued support. It was a joy to see them in their uniforms participating in the Mass. How lucky we are to still have this wonderful school. We must do all we can to support these schools, financially and in our prayers, to insure that there will always be a Catholic school in Auburn available to every family.

* St. Joseph's School had many activities throughout this past week including “Special Person Day” (students may invite someone who is very special to them), “Sneaker Day” (also a big treat when you wear a uniform), grades third through fifth made Valentine's Day cards for local nursing homes, middle school coffee hour hosted for their own special adult guests to visit, pen pal letters for Iraq, and “Role Switch Day” (Vocation Appreciation Day) where students in grades seven and eight applied for adult positions for the day. Grades pre-K through second had a “Patriotic Day,” where they worked on patriotic art projects together. Parents were invited for poetry presentations by the third grade, an electricity presentation by the fourth grade, and a museum art show on North American Native Americans by the fifth grade. The seventh and eighth-grade religion classes wrote letters to a St. Joseph School parent serving in Iraq.

* They also had many special visitors this week. The Rev. Munjalu of St. Mary's Church was a guest speaker for grades six through eight. Options for Independence shared a presentation with their handicapped puppets for grades pre-K through second grade, and Guy Cosentino presented an overview of Options for Independence with grades six through eight, as well as answering questions on local, state and federal government. Grades three through five, invited parents to come in for Career Day and speak to them about their careers. On Friday, Feb. 3, (National Teacher Appreciation Day) they all celebrated First Friday Mass together at 9 a.m. Later in the day there was a faculty and staff luncheon, as well as a Box Snack Day in the gym at 1:50 p.m.

* Tyburn Academy located at 50 Wallace Ave. in Auburn, is a high school founded in the Catholic tradition, and everyone is welcome. I urge you to visit the school, as well as their Web site at www.TyburnAcademy.com to see the students and the many good things happening at this school.

* In addition to their regular studies, during the week the students enjoyed ice skating, bowling, a chess tournament, roller skating, team theology and pizza. They also offered a special Mass on Jan. 31, for all those who support the school. On Monday, Jan. 23, while the March for Life was happening in Washington, D.C., the students held their own March for Life, complete with posters and cars honking in support, beginning at 10 a.m. at the school and ending at Holy Family Church for Mass at noon. We should be so very proud of these students.

We certainly have a lot to celebrate here in Auburn. Have a great week everyone. Take care and remember that God loves you.

Denise Bennett is a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Auburn. She can be reached at deniseb132@yahoo.com