This past weekend, Sidney and I attended the St. Mary School Auction. Similar to the first time we attended the event, we were blown away by the generosity of the St. Mary community. The way so many people gave their time, talent, and treasure is something that Sid and I aspire to emulate one day.

Sid and I pose in our backyard before heading off to the 2026 St. Mary Catholic School Auction.

Although we didn’t draw close to the way that many invested in the event, we did manage to come away with an auction item. Lucky for us, it was a very meaningful one.

In addition to the many silent auction and live auction items that people donate, each St. Mary’s class creates its own project/gift to contribute. For example, Beau’s kindergarten class made a cookie jar that is refillable with two dozen cookies each month for the next year (parents of the class take turns baking them each month…I am up in October!). Another class made a framed poster that included a professional black-and-white photo of each student praying. Another class offered up a mirror with inspirational quotes around the frame and signatures of each student on the back.

This cookie jar was the kindergarten class item. Jaysanna Wang was the parent who spearheaded the project and the jar is “refillable” with 2 dozen cookies for the next year. It went for more than $5K.

With the cookie jar way out of our bidding range (it went for $5K+), we set our sights on the project that Sloan’s third grade class worked on. With Sid managing the bidding as I had already left to relieve the babysitter, my wife offered up the winning bid and we took home a table and prayer book.

But of course it wasn’t just an ordinary table or prayer book.

Sloan stands next to the table and holds the prayer book that Sid successfully bid on during the 2026 St. Mary Catholic School Auction. Mrs. Mary Remer and her third graders brought this project to fruition.

Sloan’s teacher, Mrs. Mary Remer, asked her husband to commission an end table that would be cherished by any Catholic family. The center of the table top features a rose, which is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary, intertwined with a rosary. Inscribed around the perimeter of the table are the words to the Hail Mary prayer. It is beautiful!

A look at the table top. It depicts a rose surrounded by a rosary with the words to the “Hail Mary” circulating around the perimeter.

The table, made out of rich wood, includes a lower shelf.

This view shows the lower shelf and how the prayer book is positioned.

That lower shelf is perfect for the prayer book that Sloan and her classmates made. The book is special before you even open it. The cover depicts a colorful cross that was made from the fingerprints of everyone in Sloan’s class.

The prayer book’s cover depicts a colorful cross. The cross was made from the fingerprints of the third grade students and Mary Remer.

You can open up the prayer book to the inside cover to see which paint color matches each student and then on the opposite page is a class photo.

This is the inside cover of the prayer book. It contains the color code of the children’s fingerprints and is opposite a class photo.

Once you start browsing through the pages is when the real humility and faith of Mrs. Remer’s third grade class shines. Each student was given their own section. Each section opens with the featured student’s photo and autobiography. Following each intro are handwritten pages of that particular third grader’s favorite saint quote and their favorite prayers. The prayers range from morning prayers to evening prayers, creed-based prayers to Eucharistic prayers, petition prayers to repentful prayers.

This is the beginning of Sloan’s section. She actually closes the book out.

Sloan is the last entry in the prayer book. After sharing that her favorite color is purple and her best friend is Allison, my daughter used the next several pages to write the prayers of the rosary.

This page is devoted to the “Fatima Prayer,” which was added to the rosary in 1917. Sloan’s classmate, Mateo, created this page.

The past two days I have experienced great joy when walking through the front door to see our new table near the entryway. I am grateful to Mrs. Remer and her husband for undertaking such a significant project. I am impressed by the third grade students for the effort they put forth to help. And, finally, I am humbled by many of my fellow St. Mary parents for the generosity and passion they have for the faith and education of our children. This humility is especially extended to Adam and Anne Mileski (aka the parents of Sloan’s best friend) for inviting us to sit at their table. As always, I am proud to be part of the St. Mary community. Don’t Blink.