Barnett essay on mercy wins Archdiocese contest

According to biblestudytools.com, mercy is a concept integral to an understanding of God's dealings with humankind. It’s found in the phrases "to be merciful," "to have mercy on, " or "to show mercy toward." The noun denotes compassion and love, not just feelings or emotions, as expressed in tangible ways.

How do you show mercy and how have you received mercy were two of the questions of an essay contest open to all Catholic school students in the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

On Friday, April 22, seventh grader Collin Barnett was sitting in Mass at Holy Redeemer Church before school listening to Deacon Mickey Friesen talk about the contest, when his name was called as the essay winner.

“I was just listening to the guy from the Archdiocese speak, then he said I won the Mercy contest. I was very surprised because I knew it was out of a lot of people,” Barnett said.

The contest he won is the 2016 Center for Mission Writing Contest. A lot of people is an understatement. Barnett beat out nearly 800 other entries from the Archdiocese area.

For more about Barnett's award and the reaction from the Deacon, pick up the April 28 Messenger.