Marigolds in Memory

PITTSBURGH-AREA KINDERGARTeNER PLANTS FLOWERS ON GRAVES OF DECEASED SISTERS

Pittsburgh, Pa. — It's been anything but a normal start to elementary school for Pittsburgh-area kindergartener Brian Steenbeke. He and the rest of his class at Highcliff Elementary transitioned to online learning in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now that the weather has warmed — and as Catholics on May 24 marked the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis' Laudato Si' encyclical about caring for our common home — 6-year-old Brian and his grandmother, Beverly Grogan, added an outdoor lesson to the curriculum.

By planting flowers on the graves of our deceased Sisters in St. Francis Cemetery at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh, Brian learned about the environment and about showing respect for those who came before. His parents, Tom and Samantha Steenbeke, are both longtime employees of Mt. Assisi Place and live nearby.

“We went on a walk one day, and Brian wasn't happy that all the Sisters didn't have flowers,” says Samantha. “So he asked if he could plant flowers for them.”

Brian’s efforts have added a splash of color to the cemetery and brought a smile to those who have loved ones buried there, including Michelle Benko, niece of the late Sister Mercedes Benko. “This means a great deal to the families of the departed Sisters.”