BERGEN BEACH — Children in the St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church faith formation program channeled their artistic side with an exhibit on Feb. 26, drawing inspiration for their work from the Jubilee Year theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Melissa Wagner, the faith formation director at the parish, said the Pilgrims of Hope Art Show’s purpose was to use faith and art to help children understand the importance and meaning of the holy year.

“We have such a limited time with the students that we need and not looking at things like the glass is half empty, [focusing] on the good that comes in your life,” she said. “I really liked putting my hope into art because I got to express myself.”

For his art piece, seventh grader Nicholas Sanford created an illustration of the holy year hymn’s chorus: “Like a flame my hope is burning, may my song arise to you: source of life that has no ending, on life’s path I trust in you.”

“I was trying to symbolize it on the paper so you could see what it’s saying,” Nicholas said.

The exhibit featured the “ribbons of hope” station where students wrote prayers or dedications on colored ribbons — red for love, blue for peace, yellow for hope, and green for joy.

There was also space for them to “fan the flame of hope,” where instead of an actual flame, they sprayed watercolors to send prayers to the sick, the poor, and others in need. In addition, there was an activity where each student contributed a colored piece of tissue paper to create stained glass that spelled out the word “hope.”

Wagner said that when putting the exhibit together, she was inspired by the thought of the children educating their parents on the Jubilee Year. She added that she wanted the parents to be a “part of the show” by participating in the activities as well.

Francesca Marino, a third grader who visited every station, described the flame spraying as “fun and messy.” When she went to the ribbon station, she made sure to mention the people she cared about.

“I chose red for love,” she said. “So I wrote, ‘I love my family and teachers.’ ”

Wagner, who attended the school as a child, said she has dreamed of putting together an art exhibit at the academy since she arrived there 27 years ago as a pre-K teacher. She said that as a former student, she knows how mind-numbing it can be to sit in a classroom all day.

She said that as a child, she used art to improve her grades in school, so she thought it would be a good idea to do something that combined art and faith.

“I had a learning disability as a child, but I excelled in art, so I always did well on the art project,” Wagner said. “I knew that that was my strong point, and it was something that I loved to do.”

She added that the art show was also good because “since the pandemic, there are children who need an outlet to express themselves, and they need hope.”

Father John Maduri, pastor of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, agrees with Wagner on kids needing an outlet since the pandemic, calling the exhibit a “great idea.”

“A lot of young people are dealing with a lot of difficulties, especially post-pandemic, so I think expressing that sense of hope and the sense of optimism” is needed, Father Maduri said. “But even beyond optimism, [there is] that Christian hope that if we have that faith in God and faith in the Church and faith in one another, and faith in ourselves, we can achieve great things.”