St. Lucy lights up life at Appleton school

APPLETON - Each Dec. 13, "St. Lucy" visits the classrooms at St. Thomas More School in Appleton. Although she is dressed in a white robe and wears a crown of candles on her head, most children recognize her as teachers' aide Arlene Eichstadt, who has played St. Lucy for three years.

"The kids love it," Eichstadt said. "I do about 12 presentations that morning. I tell the children about St. Lucy, whose name comes from the Latin word lux or lucia, which means 'light.' She was a light to others in her life by her willingness to do the right thing and to make good choices. I remind them that we, too, are to be lights to others by our kind deeds and kind words."

Tradition says St. Lucy was persecuted and killed in the early fourth century in Sicily for her faith in Jesus. She is the patron saint of the blind, who pray that she will send her "lucy-light" to help them see.

In Sweden, St. Lucy, young woman at death, is known as St. Lucia, the patron saint of schoolgirls. On her feast day, the youngest daughter in each family wears a crown of candles and flowers in her hair and brings her family breakfast in bed.

"To help the children learn about this, I take cinnamon rolls to each classroom," Eichstadt said. "The mothers come in early and bake them fresh that morning. It smells heavenly The children really look forward to it"

Fifth-grade students Laura Scharenbroch and Dan Howard recall St. Lucy's past visits.

"When I was in kindergarten, I thought she really was St. Lucy" Laura smiled. "I've learned who St. Lucy was and how she was a light to her family."

"I used to think it was just about biscuits," Dan conceded. "Now I think about where she was born and how she gave her family food because she loved them. She probably wore candles on her head because it was dark and there wasn't any electricity."

"I think it's significant that this is the darkest time of the year," Einstadt said, "when days are the shortest. Lucy brings the light of Christ into the darkness."