Faith on Four Wheels: Mission and Ministry starts car blessing tradition

Last Friday, during homeroom, the Mission and Ministry team held a blessing of the cars for the first time ever. Students sat in the chapel where Father John blessed water, the students and shared words of wisdom about driving. Afterwards, students proceeded to the parking lot, where Father John, Ms. Leonard, Ms. Michels, and Ms. Stott used leaf branches to distribute holy water to students and their cars.

The Mission and Ministry team was inspired to host this event after Emma Munoz discussed recent car accidents with Ms. Michels in early September. Munoz was in two car accidents within a week of each other, one where she hit the curb of her house and destroyed the front bottom part of her car, and another time when she was a victim of a hit-and-run. While driving to a game on Canal Road, an older woman cut her off from a left-turn-only lane and dented the side of her car

When asked about the preparation for the event, Ms. Michels said that it was a team effort from Mission and Ministry. Ms. Michels bought prayer cards; Father John found the book of blessings with a specific motor vehicle prayer; Mr. Bitonti bought bowls for holy water and Ms. Stott collected tree branches to spread the holy water.

The group of students that attended included peer ministers, juniors, and seniors. Even students without their license, such as Erin Woodson, attended to support and responded that they felt included in the blessing.

After the blessing, many students said that they felt safer driving and appreciated Mission and Ministry for hosting the event. A number of students who did not attend because they were unaware it was happening said they would like to participate if it happened again. Ms. Michels emphasized that she encourages all students to bring their ideas to her. Still, in the near future, they will host the usual activities, such as meditation on Mondays, reconciliation on Tuesdays, mass on Wednesdays, and faith sharing on Thursdays.