Family Rosary honors Laredo students

Family Rosary has named two students from Laredo as winners in the 2010 U.S. “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest, a national competition that encourages students to express their faith through art, poetry and prose. They were selected from more than 4,000 entries and more than 40,000 participants in the 15th annual contest.

Each year, children and teens from Catholic schools, parishes and other Catholic organizations utilize their creative skills to illustrate a different faith-based theme. This year, the theme was "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together" and students from kindergarten through 12th grade creatively depicted in various art forms how their families are united by daily prayer and faith.

The winning students are Juan Jose Bondoc III of St. Peter’s Memorial School, who won first place in the Kindergarten Division, and Aaron Matthew Aranda of Mary Help of Christians School, who was named the third-place winner in the Grade 3 Division.

For his award-winning entry, Bondoc drew a colorful picture of his family praying and a large Rosary. The 6-year-old lives in Laredo with his brother and parents. Bondoc enjoys playing T-ball, riding bikes and visiting his grandmother. His favorite subject in school is art.

For his entry, Aranda submitted an inspiring poem entitled “Prayer Rocks!” The 9-year-old lives in Laredo with his parents and younger brother. Aranda likes to play basketball and watch football while his favorite subjects in school are language arts, math and science.

“The contest enables children of all ages to express creatively the importance of prayer and faith in their daily lives,” said Father John Phalen, CSC, president of Holy Cross Family Ministries. “Our founder, Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, created the expression that we used as the theme this year. He lived in a small village in Ireland and his family would gather together each evening to pray the Rosary. Father Peyton realized at a very early age just how important this prayer is in helping families to grow closer as they face the trials and tribulations of modern society.”

In addition to the “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest in the United States, separate competitions are conducted in Mexico, East Africa, West Africa, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Ireland, France, Chile, Haiti and the Philippines. Entries are judged on content, ability to capture and interpret the theme, artistic and technical proficiency, and adherence to rules.

In the United States, up to three winners are chosen per grade: first-place winners are awarded $100 U.S., while the sponsoring organization earns $200 U.S. and the “Think Good Thoughts” DVD. Runners-up in Grades 6-12 get the “Assumptions” and “Finding Mary” DVDs while Grades K-5 receive “The Life of Christ” DVD series from Holy Cross Family Ministries.