DECATUR—St. Peter Claver Regional School held a “Holy Doors” contest centered on the theme Faith, Knowledge and Service.

This door at St. Peter Claver Regional School, Decatur, was created by eighth-graders. It took first place in a school contest tied to the Year of Mercy by showing the relationship between each person and the cross.

Creating and crafting a door design was a collaborative project with friendly competition during Catholic Schools Week and got the Decatur school’s students thinking about all the benefits of attending a Catholic school.

The contest echoed Pope Francis’ recent opening of the Holy Year of Mercy and the local opening of the seven Holy Doors of Mercy.

Students in the eighth grade earned the Holy Doors trophy this year for their theme, “Who did Jesus die for?”

The design includes a mirror, which answers the question.

“Their design lets those who come to look at the door see themselves at the heart of the cross, and every face finds a place on that cross, which is the essence of Christ’s message of community through faith,” said eighth-grade homeroom teacher Jonathan Williams.

The older students earned the trophy from last year’s contest winners, the combined pre-K and kindergarten class, who won with their depiction titled, “For with God nothing is impossible.”

The school plans to send Pope Francis photos of the doors and write about the ways the students are participating in the Jubilee Year of Mercy.