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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! St. Mary students form prayer circle BY NISSA LAPOINT Nearly 500 students at St. Mary School in Littleton gath- ered outside last week to form their fi rst school-wide spiritual embrace around one another and the campus. The kindergarten through eighth-grade school students stood in a wide circle near its building on Prince Street May 2 to seek God's protection and blessings over the community in the face of physical and spiri- tual danger. "We can put all the locks on the doors that we want, but as parents, what else can we do?" said principal Greg Caudle. "As a people of faith we then turn in prayer. We're saying we trust in the power of prayer, and we trust in the power of the Lord to watch over us and protect us." Natalie Hattenbach, mother of two students at the school, organized "prayer around the perimeter" in response to vio- lence. She said she heard about the murder of 10-year-old Jessi- ca Ridgeway in Westminster in October 2012 and the slaughter of 26 students and faculty at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., December 2012 and realized no parent, no matter how hard they tried, could protect their children all the time. "You just feel kind of helpless as parents wanting to protect your kids," she said. "There are great things we can do practi- cally speaking, but obviously you can't protect your kids all the time." Hattenbach enlisted volun- teers in December to begin to pray for the protection of chil- dren by walking around the school grounds and reciting prayers. Parents took turns in the morning hours to pray for the spiritual protection of the school and show a physical sign of their concern. "There are external dangers both spiritual and (physical), and I think there was a desire among the parents, led by Na- talie Hattenbach, to act as es- sentially a guard that walks the perimeter," said Caudle. This month, Hattenbach sug- gested a school-wide prayer cir- cle in order for students to see them pray for each other and feel their support. Father Juan Espino, school chaplain, said it's more moving to see the students and parents all gathered together in prayer. "One of the ideas of prayer around the perimeter is let's get INDEX Archbishop Aquila: 'Joy of the Gospel' of marriage .........................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Letters to the Editor .......................4 Puzzle Page ......................................17 Nun of the Above quiz ...................17 Bulletin Board ................................. 18 Service Directory ...................... 18-19 Dear God, protect our schools PHOTO BY ROBERT LINN/DCR ST. MARY School students joined to recite the rosary last week for its fi rst school-wide prayer around the perimeter event to ask for God's protection and blessings. MAY 7, 2014 114 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 18 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE SPECIAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ARCHBISHOP'S CATHOLIC APPEAL PAGE 7 PAGE 14 NFP specialist helps couples be mutual gift PHOTO BY TODD WOLLAM/DCR Students reveal there's more to life than being perfect PAGE 8 Children unexpected, lovingly selected The many faces of Mary PAGE 9 PAGE 9 Mother's day centennial See Prayer, Page 15