CONWAY — Traditions usually develop over time and no one can seem to remember exactly when or why, but students at St. Joseph School in Conway now know how to pursue an idea and create a tradition.
“The class that will be seniors this fall asked for chastity rings,” Jeff Shachmut, ninth-grade religion teacher, said. “They looked through catalogs, kept pursuing it and really wanted to do it.”
Each year the ninth-grade students work through a unit on Church teachings on sex and morality, said Shachmut, who is in his 11th year at the school.
“We wanted something to remind them about God’s teaching; something that would be subtle but powerful,” he said.
Since 2008, ninth graders at St. Joseph High School have created customized chastity rings as a symbol of their commitment to abstain from sex.
The biggest challenge in creating the rings that first year was that the pieces the students found were not customized enough, Shachmut said.
“I contacted a local jeweler who happens to be a parishioner, and they were excited about the project,” he said.
Brooks Fine Jewelry, owned by brothers Jeff and Pat Brooks, not only cast the rings, but also let the students design their rings.
“We are new Catholics as of the early 1990s, and we’re always looking for ways to penetrate the minds of teens,” Jeff Brooks said. “The rings serve as a reminder and a keepsake, too.”
The rings are sterling silver and students visit the store, only a few blocks from the school, to watch their rings created from a drawing on paper to the actual ring.
“This last year’s rings really tested my abilities,” Brooks said. “It is so neat to take their ideas and put them into 3-D.”
Shachmut said the girls and boys design separate rings but can choose to purchase the other ring.
Each ring costs about $15, a significant discount from what similar custom rings would cost.
Jeff Brooks said, “I provide this discount to support the chastity program.”
Financial assistance is available if a student cannot afford it, Shachmut said.
“Each year I’ve had parents tell me that if someone needs help in purchasing a ring, they would be happy to help that student,” he said.
In 2008 the girls’ ring read “True Love Waits” and the boys’ ring read, “Don’t Do It, Go Hunt in.” The boys’ ring had a wide band with a 10-point buck displayed.
The second year the rings followed with “One Life, One Love” for the girls and “Virgin, Just Be It” for the boys.
This spring the rings for the girls were inscribed with, “Stop In The Name Of Love” and the boys’ rings read, “Never Give In.”
Tenth-grader Drew Bates, who got his ring last spring, admits the new jewelry has influenced his decisions.
“Whenever I see it on my finger I am reminded of abstinence,” he said. “It helps me live a life of abstinence and save myself for my future spouse.”
Mary Margaret Hambuchen, a senior this year, agreed.
“It’s a constant reminder to act with dignity and self-control in all situations, not just regarding sexual decisions,” she said.
“Ever since I received my purity ring I wear it every day,” 11th grader Taylor Perry said.
Shachmut said school curriculum continues to bring up the Church’s position on sex and morality throughout high school and Theology of the Body for Teens is taught in 10th, 11th and 12th grades.
“Anything we can do to encourage them to wait for the gift of love and to save sex for that one special person is top of mind,” Shachmut said. “They don’t get that message in the general media.”
Shachmut said he wants students to have a place where they can seek honest answers and talk about anything.
“We want students to have a place to receive accurate information from trusted adults,” he said.
Students receive their rings during a school Mass, he said. Last spring 42 students — 25 boys and 17 girls — received rings.
“The priest calls them forward to receive their ring and blesses them, praying for them to live a life of chastity,” Shachmut said.
Shachmut said the school plans to continue the tradition and now students coming into the ninth grade are already planning their rings.
Both the school and the jewelry store said they would be happy to help other schools interested in creating the program for their students. For more information on the rings, contact Brooks at (501) 327-2825 or jeff@brooksfinejewelry.com. For information on the chastity program, call Shachmut at the school at (501) 329-5741.
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