OTTAWA, OH (WLIO) - It was back to school for Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic in Ottawa and the unveiling of a brand new statue!
Driving along Locust Street in the village of Ottawa you will find a beautiful new statue of the holy family sitting in front of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School. A goal was set up to raise $25,000 to fund the statue and make it a reality, and what was expected to take two to three years to raise money for was all raised in one school year thanks to determined students!
"We had quarter wars where we would bring in quarters and dimes and nickels and pennies," Ellianna Warren, a student at Sts. Peter and Paul school.
It became a fierce competition to see which class could bring in the most change. While the students played a huge role, blessing boxes at church along with a few larger donations all helped to make it happen. These kids are following in the footsteps of their great grandparents when school kids of the Diocese were asked to save pennies during the great depression to put in the rose window in Rosary Cathedral in Toledo.
"That sense of continuity, that sense of tradition, that sense of doing something not just for our generation but for generations to come. The kids really embrace that," stated Father Scott Kramer, Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church pastor.
Father Scott Kramer says this is a "statue for the future" as these kids lead a path for future generations to be reminded of the holy family and its model of faithfulness.
"This statue will be here, as Father said this morning, when their grandkids come to school here. They'll be able to say I helped buy that," commented Connie Niese, principal minister.
"I hope that they see the statue and they can realize that those are the people in heaven that are looking down on us," added Ellianna Warren.
