Msgr. Scott Friend quizzes fifth-graders of St. Joseph School May 17 while his nephews, seminarians Patrick Friend and Joseph Friend, look on at right. Dwain Hebda photo

Seminarian Martin Siebold of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche) welcomes the fifth-graders to the House of Formation. Dwain Hebda photo

Flanked by family members, Catherine Phillips, mother of the late Daniel Phillips, thanks students for their gift. The group presented a statue, memory stone and check to the House of Formation in Daniel's honor. Dwain Hebda photo

A highlight of the visit was the fifth-graders' performance of "The Banana Song" a class favorite taught to them by Daniel Phillips. Dwain Hebda photo

St. Joseph classmates, diocesan seminarians, teachers and special guests pose with the garden statue and memory stone the fifth-graders donated. Dwain Hebda photo

St. Joseph fifth-graders pose with members of the Phillips family: Luke Phillips (center left), Jean Phillips, John Phillips, Catherine Phillips and Matthew Phillips, all from Booneville. Dwain Hebda photo

St. Joseph fifth-graders pay tribute to seminarian

Students donate to House of Formation May 17 honoring the late Daniel Phillips

Published: May 28, 2013

By Dwain Hebda
Associate Editor

Dwain Hebda

Msgr. Scott Friend blesses an engraved stone presented in memory of the late Daniel Phillips May 17 by fifth-grade students from St. Joseph School in Conway. The class adopted Phillips while he attended seminary in Dallas.

Dwain Hebda

About 30 fifth-graders from St. Joseph School in Conway were on hand May 17 at the House of Formation in Little Rock to remember the late Daniel Phillips, a seminarian whom they adopted last year.

Phillips was killed in an car wreck Dec. 18.

The class, along with their homeroom teachers and principal Susie Freyaldenhoven were in town to make several special presentations in Phillips’ memory. They presented a garden statue of St. Francis of Assisi, an engraved memorial stone and a check for the diocesan endowment fund.

Vocations director Msgr. Scott Friend blessed the statue and the stone while members of the Phillips family looked on. Phillips’ parents, John and Catherine; his sister Jean; and two of his three brothers, Matthew and Luke, all of Booneville, thanked the students for the love and support they had shown Phillips while he was attending Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas.

As their adopted seminarian, Phillips received a package with letters from each member of the class and when he wrote back to each of them, he was surprised that they, in turn wrote back to him, said his mother. Home on break from his studies in December, Daniel Phillips visited the class, even teaching them a funny banana song. The class performed the song for the guests at the presentation to rousing applause.

In his remarks to the schoolchildren, Msgr. Friend said the statue and memory stone would be part of a garden that is in the works for the House of Formation grounds. And, he told them Phillips was still looking out for the diocese, as evidenced by the number of young men attracted to discerning a religious vocation.

“I didn’t expect that we would have this many seminarians, so I’m sure that Daniel has a hand in helping us with that,” he said.