EXTENSION Short Story Contest for High School Students
2008 winners tell stories of American missioners
CHICAGO, Ill - EXTENSION Magazine, one of the nation's leading Catholic missionary magazines produced by the Catholic Church Extension Society, is pleased to announce the winners of EXTENSION's Short Story Contest for Catholic high school students. This year students were asked to write a fictional story inspired by one of the missionaries, mission churches, seminarians or mission programs supported by Catholic Extension.
The Grand Prize Winner is 10th-grader Christina Sauer from Corydon, Ind., who attends Presentation Academy in Louisville, Ky. Sauer received a $500 prize in addition to having her story published in the April issue of EXTENSION Magazine and on the Catholic Extension Web site.
Sauer's story is about the arrival of a mission priest to a small faith community in the remote village of Dillingham, Alaska, in which the newly arrived priest and a teenage cancer victim learn a lesson on God's incredible power of forgiveness.
The 2nd place winner is Eydie Kramer, a 12th-grader from St. Peter, Minn., whose story "Winds of Change" is based on Catholic Extension aid to tornado victims in Kansas. Kramer received a $300 prize.
The 3rd place prize went to 10th-grader Patrick Christ from Prince George, Va., whose story "The Cardboard City of God" describes a missionary who works with Native Americans. He received a $200 prize. Christ's family are members of the Church of the Sacred Heart Parish in Richmond, a church that received a building grant from Catholic Extension two years ago to help with an expansion project.
Honorable Mention award certificates also were sent to three student writers, who impressed the judges. They included Evelyn Hildebrand, 13, a home-schooled student from Springfield, Va, for her story "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"; Lauren Swansick, 14, from Central Catholic High School in Modesto, Calif., for her story "Marion Full of Grace"; and Sarah Butler, 16, also a home-schooled student from Waco, Texas, for her story "Warring With Memories."
EXTENSION Magazine Short Story Contest was created as a way to commemorate the publication's centennial year in 2006. World-renowned author Mary Higgins Clark, whose first published work, "Last Flight From Danubia" (later retitled "Stowaway") ran in EXTENSION Magazine in 1958, suggested the idea of bringing fiction back to the magazine and involving young authors. Clark graciously served as honorary chair of the short story contest. Her original story can be downloaded here:
Last Flight From Danubia - Mary Higgins Clark.pdf (2886 KB)
"I'm delighted to be associated with this contest once again this year," Ms. Clark said. "I started my career as a short story writer and after six years of rejections, I'll never forget the thrill and excitement of my first short story sale to EXTENSION. That acceptance letter is framed in my study. The moral values taught by our faith can be an integral part of a short story or novel and are elements of all my writings. With this contest, EXTENSION Magazine is motivating budding writers to blend moral values into their fiction."
Over the past century, EXTENSION Magazine has carried stories of Catholic missionaries -- the many priests, sisters, brothers and lay persons whose dedication to spreading the Faith has inspired so many. For the contest, EXTENSION Magazine sought stories about everyday "Hidden Hero" missionaries and champions of the faith who would inspire and entertain modern-day readers of the magazine.
"We congratulate all the contest winners and gratefully acknowledge the creative and heartfelt efforts of every student who participated," said Catholic Extension President Father Jack Wall. "Judging the contest was difficult, as there were so many well-crafted and inspiring stories submitted. We extend our thanks to all these young authors for their participation and wish them well in their future endeavors."
Founded in 1905, the Chicago-based Catholic Church Extension Society has supported Catholic mission work by raising donations for church construction, religious education and seminary formation, evangelization, campus and outreach ministries, and salaries for missionaries in the poorest and remotest parts of the nation. Catholic Extension is the leading supporter of Catholic missions in the U.S. and has distributed more than $450 million over its history.
Winning Stories Online:
1st Place: "Forgiven and Set Free" by Christina Sauer
2nd Place: "Winds of Change" by Eydie Kramer
3rd Place: "The Cardboard City of God" by Patrick Christ-
Honorable Mentions:
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Evelyn Hildebrand