The stocking “stuffers” of Sacred Heart are not candy canes and toys- they’re the students who stuff hundreds of stockings every year for kids in need! This heartwarming tradition continued this year and the participation was fantastic.

Run by Student Council (STUCO), the Stocking Drive is an annual event at Sacred Heart consisting of students receiving tags with a child’s age and gender written on it. The tag corresponds with an individual child who, without the help of SHA students, may not receive any gifts at all for Christmas. Students then fill the stocking with necessities such as hats and gloves, as well as crayons, toys, or anything else the child of the specified age and gender may enjoy. The idea of the stocking drive is to spread happiness during the holidays, and to make a child smile on Christmas who otherwise might have received nothing. The number of schools and children in need increases every year, but thankfully the participation from the SHA community is always outstanding.

Once the students and faculty have filled their stockings, there is a stocking Paraliturgy that takes place. This year it was on Tuesday, December 4, and was lovely as usual. To see all the girls and teachers carrying their stockings through the chapel and handing them to the STUCO members is a beautiful visual representation of how God’s love is shared during the holiday season.

As Sister Sheila, ASCJ, said, “This is what Sacred Heart is really all about- spreading Jesus’s love.” The stocking drive is a great example of how Christ’s love is spread from our school into the rest of the world. Unlike giving a gift to a close friend, whose reaction will be visible, filling and giving these stockings is something that for which we don’t see the results. However, we know the stockings are going to children in need, and that is enough to make it worth the time and money spent. We hope to have brightened the holidays for as many children as possible through the 2018 Stocking Drive! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!