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Blessed Sacrament School Principal Jim Spillman spent five days in Cuba last May as part of a mission trip with the Pontifical Mission Societies of the Archdiocese of Boston. Travel to the island country is slowly opening up to Americans, making the journey a unique experience for any American educator. Mr. Spillman was selected for this opportunity because Blessed Sacrament School has a history of involvement with the Missionary Childhood Association; each year, students collect money for the Missionary Childhood Association through the “mite box” program and pray the World Mission Rosary – a special rosary for children throughout the world - together as a community.
Mr. Spillman, who coaches baseball in Norwood, joined volunteers from across the country, including representatives of the Pontifical Missions Society, a representative from the National Catholic Youth Organization and National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, and baseball coaches from the International Sports Group. This volunteer team conducted two baseball camps for youth in Santa Clara and Camaguey, creating a “baseball ministry” meant to build connections with young people in the communities the Missionary Childhood Association serves.
“Baseball was such a unique and powerful way of building relationships with the children,” said Mr. Spillman. who was moved by the sheer glee the gift of sports equipment brought the young players. “At our first baseball camp, we had a box of wooden bats that we had shipped to Cuba to donate to the children we worked with. I won’t ever forget the excitement the children showed when they opened the box and received the bats. It was like the look I see on my own children’s face on Christmas morning. Pure joy.”
While the program was designed to use baseball as a means of evangelization, Mr. Spillman found it was the children themselves who were most inspired to share their faith.
“I was truly impressed by the ministry work that the children we met are doing through the Missionary Childhood Association in Cuba,” said Mr. Spillman. “We heard testimonials from 12 and 13-year old children about their evangelization work - youth who literally go door-to-door in their communities, sharing their faith, trying to get others to join in their ministry work and become active in the local church. The youth were incredibly articulate and confident as they shared their stories with us.”
Blessed Sacrament School is using the theme of “Peace” to guide the 2016-2017 school year. The theme inspires students, teachers, and families to instill peace in their own lives and in the world and challenges the community to actively engage in service to others.
