EXTENSION Short Story Contest for High School Students

Read about the 2008 winners here and check back
this fall for details on the 2009 contest

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 will receive a $500 prize and have her story published in the April issue of EXTENSION Magazine and on the Catholic Extension Web site (www.catholicextension.org).

Sauer's story is about the arrival of a mission priest to a small faith community in 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 as part of Catholic Extension's ongoing Parish Partnership Program. Kramer will receive a $300 prize, and she, along with the top six student writers, will also have their stories published on the Catholic Extension Web site.

The 3rd place winner is 10th-grader Patrick Christ from Prince George, Va., whose story "The Cardboard City of God" describes a missionary who works with Native Americans. He will receive 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 will be given to three student writers, including Evelyn Hildebrand, 13, a home-schooled Catholic 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 Catholic student from Waco, Texas, for her story "Warring With Memories."

The EXTENSION Magazine Short Story Contest began last year as a way to commemorate the publication's centennial year. 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 agreed to participate once again as honorary chair of the short story contest.

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."

Through its 100 years, 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."

For more than 100 years, the Chicago-based Catholic Church Extension Society has supported Catholic missions in the U.S. by funding church construction, religious education and seminary formation, evangelization, campus and outreach ministries, and salaries for missionaries. Catholic Extension is the leading supporter of Catholic missions in the U.S. and has distributed more than $450 million over its history.

To receive a full year of EXTENSION Magazine free of charge, write to Catholic Extension, 150 S. Wacker Drive, 20th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, call 1-800-842-7804, or sign up at http://www.catholicextension.org/.