Photo courtesy of Nancy Frazier From left, Maryknoll director of religious education Rose Ann Petro, Holy Family student Richel Cole, and vice principal of Holy Family Catholic Academy Mary Essig-Morrow.

By Nancy Frazier, RN | Special to the Herald

Addressing volunteer blood donors, Pope Benedict XVI said, “People’s lives will be judged not on the basis of abstract ideals, but on the concrete acts of charity toward others.”

He continued, “Blood donation helps spread the Gospel of God’s love for all people.”

In that spirit, St. Philomena and Holy Family Parishes in west Honolulu and Sacred Heart and St. Pius X Parishes in east Honolulu have hosted blood drives for the past seven years. Partnering with their parish schools, Holy Family Academy and Maryknoll Grade School, blood donations have increased.

Holy Family Academy vice-principal Mary Essig-Morrow works with honor students to recruit donors. At Maryknoll, the head of religious education Rose Ann Petro does the same with service learning students. The students have responded with initiative and creativity. They made posters, announcements at school assemblies, worn the blood drop costume and sent home flyers. One group even wrote a song.

The students have learned compassion, leadership and organizational skills while demonstrating “concrete acts of charity.”

Blood drives hosted by the St. Philomena and Holy Family Health Ministry have collected 291 pints of blood. Sacred Heart and St. Pius X blood drives have collected 404 pints. Together they donated enough plasma, red blood cells and platelets to save 2,085 lives.

This generous spirit inspired a blood donation workshop on May 12 for Catholic intermediate schools sponsored by St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii in collaboration with the Blood Bank of Hawaii. At the event, Holy Family Academy and Essig-Morrow and Maryknoll School and Petro were recognized for their efforts. Also attending were students from Damien Memorial School, St. Joseph School in Waipahu and St. Theresa School in Kapalama.

Students learned about the Blood Bank and its mission. Sister of St. Francis Norise Kaiser of St. Francis Healthcare spoke on Catholic social justice using as examples the work of Blessed Damien and Blessed Marianne.

Nancy Frazier, R.N., is a parish nurse through St. Francis Community Health Services, a subsidiary of the St. Francis Healthcare System