Student Life
Faith & Service
“Lord God, through the merits of Your great saint, Benedict, we ask Your grace and blessing on all we do today. Grant us the grace to act always as true Christians, responsive to Your will. Help us to see and serve You in our neighbor and to miss no opportunity of doing good in Your name.
Amen.”
Amen.”
Following the Tradition
St. Elizabeth is a close-knit Catholic school that follows the Benedictine tradition, focusing on personal and spiritual growth of our students and the development of the entire school community. Our faculty and staff nurture the motto of St. Benedict and model the values of hospitality, peace, prayer, compassion and the dignity of work.
To enhance our relationship with God, we celebrate Mass monthly as a school, and students have the opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent and Lent. As a school, we begin and end each day with prayer, supporting spiritual growth with God. Elementary school students complete our Sacramental Program, fulfilling the sacraments of First Reconciliation, Holy Communion, and Confirmation. Many students continue to strengthen their faith and become altar servers within the parish.
St. Elizabeth Parish grew from humble beginnings and developed into what we see today only through inspired leadership, hard work, and the sacrifice of many. Bishop John J. Monaghan searched the city for a space to start a new church that would serve all nationalities. He named the parish St. Elizabeth, in honor of the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and appointed Fr. William Temple as Pastor. The parish has the distinction of being the first church in the United States of America named for the mother of St. John the Baptist and the first in the Diocese of Wilmington established to serve all ethnic groups. Immediately upon his installation as Pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish in June 1908, Fr. Temple began to plan for a parochial school. He called upon his friends, the Benedictine Sisters of Ridgley, Maryland to form the faculty. St. Elizabeth School opened on September 8, 1908, with 294 students. Thanks to the work of the Benedictine Sisters, the excellent reputation of St. Elizabeth School spread, and it attracted students from all over the state's largest city.
Our Patronal Feasts
The Feast Day of St. Elizabeth is November 5.
The Feast Day of St. Benedict is March 21.
The Feast Day of St. Scholastica is February 10.
The Rule of St. Benedict
In existence for 1,500 years, the Rule of Saint Benedict has become the leading guide in Western Christianity for monastic living in community, but it is also a practical guide that can be used to help everyone establish and maintain loving relationships with God, with others, with the material world, and with one’s own self. As the whole person is made up of body, mind, and spirit, the Rule is written for a life that recognizes that the three elements should be affirmed in a balanced life of prayer, study, and work. The spirit of the Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation – pax (“peace”) and the traditional ora et labora (“pray and work”).
From the opening words, “Listen my son to the instructions of your Master, turn the ear of your heart to the advice of a loving father;” through the instructions on hospitality, community, humility, prayer, work, compassion, and obedience; to the final words of Chapter LXXII – “They should prefer nothing to Christ. May He bring us all alike to life everlasting.” – the Rule serves as a roadmap to a relationship with God and those in the communities in which one lives – family, school, church, neighborhood, etc.
The Rule is one based on moderation and reasonableness, with an understanding not just of the capabilities of human nature but also its weaknesses.
Campus Ministry
The Campus Ministry Department is concerned with the faith formation of students, faculty, and staff. St. Elizabeth School is committed to the formation of the whole person and provides a variety of ways to nurture the faith and spirituality of our community.
Faith Celebrated through Worship & Prayer
• The celebration of the Eucharist on a school-wide basis at least once a month, on Holy Days of Obligation, and in Chapel Masses for individual classes.
• All-school Reconciliation Services during Advent and Lent
• Sacramental preparation for First Communion in second grade and for Confirmation in eighth grade.
• Annual celebrations of milestones and devotions, ranging from freshman orientation’s Service of Light to the Junior Ring Mass, from the Blessing of Animals to May Crowning.
• Daily school-wide prayer that sanctifies the major points of our day, in addition to prayer experiences in each class.
• Catholic cultural celebrations that invite the community to live-out the liturgical year.
• Annual retreats for each class, built around the framework of the Benedictine Pillars.
Faith Lived through Service & Advocacy
St. Elizabeth School also provides a multitude of ways for students to put their faith into action through service and action—embodying our Benedictine belief that all acts of service bring glory to God. These include:
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All high school students complete MANNA service hours as part of their high school experience, aimed at building a life-long desire to serve.
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School-wide service projects are coordinated through Vikings in Action.
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Advocacy and awareness are built through clubs and student-led organizations.
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Faith Leadership through the Campus Ministry Team
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Students provide an active role in supporting the Annual Youth Pilgrimage.
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Week-long immersive service opportunities for students offered during the summer.
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Commissioned student liturgical ministers.
Faith Nurtured through Catholic & Benedictine Spirituality
St. Elizabeth School provides opportunities for students to grow in their Catholic Christian faith through our Benedictine Spirituality. These include:
• Observance of the liturgical seasons.
• Monthly all-school Masses and prayer services.
• Class retreats built on the framework of the four Benedictine Pillars
• Freshman Retreat in the Fall – Pillar of Hospitality
• Sophomore Retreat in the Fall – Pillar of Service & Humility
• Junior Retreat in the Spring – Pillar of Prayer & Work
• Senior Retreat in the Spring – Pillar of Stability
• Individual spiritual direction available for students and staff.
• Formation to train and commission student altar servers, lectors, cantors, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
• Recognition of community members who exemplify our Benedictine Pillars.
Campus Ministry is responsible for:
Daily prayer
All school liturgies and community prayer services of the school
Freshman and Sophomore Retreats in the fall
All school liturgies and community prayer services of the school
Freshman and Sophomore Retreats in the fall
Junior and Senior Retreats in the spring
Formation to train and commission all student liturgical ministersSeasonal environment displays throughout the liturgical year
Pass the Word Vocation Days in March
The Diocesan Youth Pilgrimage that opens Holy Week
Summer service week
