Mater Dei celebrates with online ceremony
School takes ceremony online to honor those who served
LANSDALE » It looked a little different for 2020, but Mater Dei Catholic School in Lansdale carried on a solemn tradition.
Sixth-grade students led the rest of the school community in a virtual ceremony incorporating the school’s theme for 2020-21: “Mary, Let us be a Reflection of your Hope and Peace.”
“Mater Dei’s Veteran’s Day celebration is a wonderful tradition that is loved by all. Although it is presented differently this year, our students respectfully celebrate the Veterans for their service and sacrifices,” said sixth-grade teachers Christina Kehan and Marianne Brownback in a statement from the school.
“We hope the veterans feel very special after viewing the presentation, because they truly are. We cannot recognize them enough for all they have given,” the two said.
Each year, Mater Dei traditionally holds an outdoor ceremony combining students and local veterans, as the two groups gather for a ceremony featuring songs and prayers in the school’s gym, then cross the street to the adjacent St. Stanislaus Parish cemetery and lay a wreath on a marker memorializing local veterans.
The 2020 version was modified to instead take place online: starting at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, local veterans of all military branches were invited to watch a virtual event instead, which included a virtual prayer service, a blessing, and then the wreath-laying in the cemetery.
“We look forward to reaching veterans and their families of all military branches. Although it is presented differently this year, we still hope the veterans feel honored,” said the school.
“We hope the veterans feel very special after viewing the presentation, because they truly are.” — teachers Christina Kehan and Marianne Brownback