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Essay Contest Winners 2008
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This is the fourteenth year the Office of Black Catholic Ministry has sponsored the Essay Contest in the Camden Diocese during the month of February (Black History Month). This contest is held annually for seventh and eighth graders in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Camden.

This year's topic, My Role as a Christian Youth in Today's World, encouraged good responses from approximately 1141 students throughout the Diocese of Camden and each student received a Certificate of Participation for their entries.

Each year it becomes more difficult to pick the winners because the quality of the essays have improved as the number of participants have increased. The Essay Contest Committee was very impressed with the quality and thoughtfulness each student put into the essays.

This year's top winners:

1st Place Diocesan Winner - $200 Savings Bond
Christian Wisniewski
St. Mary School, Williamstown, NJ

2nd Place Diocesan Winner - $150 Savings Bond
Salena Silvaria
St. John Regional School, Collingwood, NJ

3rd Place Diocesan Winner - $125 Savings Bond
Melissa Kirk
St. Agnes Regional School, Blackwood, NJ

There were 12 area winners, 6 will receive $75 Savings Bond, and 6 will receive $50 Savings Bonds.

Below are the winning essays:

1st Place Winner

My Role as a Christian Youth in Today's World
By: Christian Wisniewski
St. Mary School Williamstown, NJ Grade 8

As a Christian youth in today's world, I feel I have many roles to serve God. I feel that I have the responsibility to take care of God's creatures as well as our Earth. Another role that I feel I have is to do community service such as being active in my church, my school, and my town. One final role that I feel will serve God is to act in such a way that God would be proud. I think that this is being a good role model for younger Christians that I may meet.

One major role that I take part in as a Christian youth is caring for all of God's creation. I help my family with recycling of newspapers, cardboard, and plastic bottles. I can also help by picking up litter to help keep our world clean. Another way to care for creation is to care for all of God's creatures. I think that we need to respect the homes of animals and know that we all live together. We can save animals by adopting them from shelters.

A role that I feel is important to all is to be helpful in communities. By doing service in church, I am showing my love for God. I am involved in my church by greeting people. I also donate money and food to the poor each week. In my school, I take part in the caring of preschoolers by walking them to school each day. As I get older, I will become more involved in my community, perhaps by sharing my talents with younger children.

My final role as a Christian youth is to be a good role model. I encourage younger children to maintain their faith throughout their entire life. I share my faith and I try to act in a way that shows my love for God and our world. I am part of Peer Mediation at my school which helps others with problems. I hope that my attributes will be helpful to others. I try to be caring and trustworthy so that others might follow my ways.

Of all of the roles that I take part in as a Christian youth, I found these roles to be the most important. I think that caring for God's creation is one of the biggest roles I take part in because it shows that I respect what God has given me. Doing community service is important as well because it shows how I care for my church, my school, and my community. Being a good role model is very important because it helps younger Christians want to remain with their faith. Pope John Paul II once said "Peace…must become the goal of all men and women of good will." It is important to give back for so much that God has given to us.

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