GALION — Students at Galion St. Joseph’s Catholic School took part in the national movement Thursday in celebration of “Bring Your Bible to School Day.”

“This is the first year the students took part in Take Your Bible to School,” said Principal Janice Stupka. “Father Paul (Fahrbach) saw there was this national movement to bring your bible to school and he said: “What is great about our school is that we can do that all the time.’ So we joined that movement to bring our Bibles to school. Here, we read from our Bibles every day. The kids really stepped up to it and brought their Bibles today.”

All grades gathered in the cafeteria in the morning with their Bibles, which had many stories behind them. Stupka asked where they got their Bibles and many said they got it for their first communion, while one student held his Bible up and said his dad gave it to him and, that his dad got it for his first communion. Others said they got Bibles from their aunts and uncles and other relatives.

Prayers were said and students were then asked to look through their Bibles and share with others their favorite scriptures or stories. Some answers included the story of Noah and the ark, while others said the birth of Christ, The Last Supper, and when Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. Several said their favorite story was when God created the Earth.

Joni Gilliam O’Leary is the mother of four girls, is a St. Joseph Catholic Church parishioner and a parent representative for the Student Advisory Council.

“As a parent, I know my daughter is very excited to bring her Bible to school,” O’Leary said. “I am thankful for the school offering this day for children to be able to share their Bibles with each other and to speak openly about their faith. I have been reflecting that in other places and countries, this sort of thing is not possible.”

According to a news release about the event, the ‘Bring Your Bible to School’ program is now in its sixth year. It provides a unique opportunity for young people to share about their faith by highlighting its source … the Bible.