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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to | ||||||
| 3 | recognize the students and staff of Our Lady of Mount Carmel | ||||||
| 4 | Academy (OLMCA) on completing their Kid Conclave school | ||||||
| 5 | project and their subsequent meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the | ||||||
| 6 | Vatican; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, OLMCA, a school located in the Lakeview | ||||||
| 8 | neighborhood of Chicago, has been educating children since its | ||||||
| 9 | opening in 1888; today, the academy offers top-tier academics | ||||||
| 10 | to students from preschool to eighth grade in a nurturing | ||||||
| 11 | Catholic environment for families of diverse cultural, | ||||||
| 12 | economic, and religious backgrounds; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, OLMCA staff, as part of a school project teaching | ||||||
| 14 | faith, history, and tradition, conducted a mock papal | ||||||
| 15 | conclave, or Kid Conclave, for students in May 2025; the | ||||||
| 16 | project showcased 25 first through sixth grade students, and | ||||||
| 17 | it also featured two kindergarten students serving in the role | ||||||
| 18 | of Swiss Guards; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, The selected OLMCA students serving as cardinals | ||||||
| 20 | donned replica robes and hats, or birettas, made from craft | ||||||
| 21 | materials by their teachers and proceeded to act out the | ||||||
| 22 | process of a papal conclave, which included selecting one of | ||||||
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| 1 | their own to become pope, with the rest of the student body | ||||||
| 2 | taking part as the watching crowd; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, The OLMCA Kid Conclave gained national and | ||||||
| 4 | international attention online, leading staff and students to | ||||||
| 5 | be contacted by people of various religious backgrounds from | ||||||
| 6 | all over Illinois and the United States as well as Canada, | ||||||
| 7 | France, Germany Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, the Philippines, | ||||||
| 8 | Portugal, Singapore, Spain, and the United Kingdom; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, OLMCA students were invited to take a pilgrimage | ||||||
| 10 | to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in October 2025; the | ||||||
| 11 | students were introduced to the pope in St. Peter's Square | ||||||
| 12 | with assistance from Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, and the | ||||||
| 13 | pope in turn shook their hands and bestowed a special gift to | ||||||
| 14 | each student, a rosary with his crest; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, OLMCA's Dominic Moretti, a teacher and director | ||||||
| 16 | of marketing, and Allison Foerster, a Spanish teacher, | ||||||
| 17 | orchestrated the conclave lesson and the trip to the Vatican; | ||||||
| 18 | and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, The OLMCA Kid Conclave was initially designed as | ||||||
| 20 | a hands-on learning experience for the students but expanded | ||||||
| 21 | into an event that captured the hearts of people all around the | ||||||
| 22 | world; therefore, be it | ||||||
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| 1 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 2 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the | ||||||
| 3 | students and staff of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy (OLMCA) | ||||||
| 4 | on their successful completion of the Kid Conclave school | ||||||
| 5 | project and their subsequent meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the | ||||||
| 6 | Vatican; and be it further | ||||||
| 7 | RESOLVED, That we recognize Dominic Moretti, OLMCA teacher | ||||||
| 8 | and director of marketing, Allison Foerster, OLMCA Spanish | ||||||
| 9 | teacher, and the entire OLMCA staff for their work in | ||||||
| 10 | implementing the Kid Conclave and arranging the visit to the | ||||||
| 11 | Vatican for students; and be it further | ||||||
| 12 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 13 | presented to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy as an expression | ||||||
| 14 | of our esteem and respect. | ||||||