3 minute read
Meet The Hun Family
Reflecting On The Blessings Of Catholic Education At St. Peter School
While so many things have changed for all of us over these past several months, one thing remains the same — the end of summer signals a return to learning for all of our schoolage parishioners. For many St. Peter families, this means a return to our parish school. It is a particularly bittersweet start for one parish family, as their youngest child enters the eighth grade. Raul and Barb Hun have sent all eight of their children to St. Peter School for a total of 15 years, and they are most grateful for the love and learning that each one has received there.
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Reflecting on their many years as parents at St. Peter School, the Huns feel most thankful for the way the Catholic faith is integrated into the everyday life of the school, as well as the genuine affection the teachers demonstrate for their students.
“The faith aspect of the school is a given, but the teachers also really care about the kids,” Barb says. “They really know my kids, and I’ve gotten to know them over the years and will miss seeing them. They know the kids’ different strengths and weaknesses, and that individualized attention is a big thing for our kids.”
Barb and Raul both benefited from a Catholic education in grade school and high school themselves, and they greatly appreciate the sacrifices their own parents made to ensure that they would be grounded and immersed in their faith on a daily basis. With profound gratitude for their own impactful experiences in Catholic schools, passing this gift on to their own children has always seemed a natural choice.
Over the years, the Huns have enjoyed the opportunity to witness their children grow both spiritually and academically at St. Peter.
“Our kids are impressively into their faith,” Barb says. “They are very in tune with their faith and defenders of the faith.”
When the Huns’ oldest son was a sophomore at Quincy Notre Dame High School, Fr. Leo began offering Mass there twice a week. So, the family decided that they would attend the Thursday morning Mass together during Lent. After Easter came and went, the children all decided that they loved this new family tradition. Now, eight years later, the Huns continue to attend the Thursday Mass together.
As the Hun children’s faith has grown and matured, so, too, has their desire to serve God and the parish community. They have been active in various parish ministries over the years. Raul and Barb attribute their children’s love of service to the formation they received at St. Peter School.
“The school asks them to volunteer with things and to complete service hours, so that is good,” Raul says.
“They really teach them to be stewards,” Barb adds. “They really drive stewardship home to those kids at a young age, and that is important because they are the future of our world. If we can teach our kids to care for others, that’s a step in the right direction. Stewardship is huge in the Catholic Church — it’s one of the pillars of our faith, and something they have to learn at a young age to carry it on throughout their lives. Then, it just becomes an automatic part of their life.”
As he reflects back on the Hun family’s time at St. Peter School, Raul is pleased to have heeded the words of wisdom that his own mother once offered to him.
“My mom always said, ‘The only thing we can leave our kids that no one can take away is education,’” he says. “So, we always spend our money on education.”
Indeed, the Huns are thankful that they made the decision to provide all of their children with the opportunity to learn and thrive in the loving and faith-filled academic community of St. Peter School.
“You can’t put a price on it,” Barb says. “It is a sacrifice, but it’s one worth making, for sure. If you’re going to sacrifice for your kids, this is a good thing to sacrifice for.”
