Many teachers may look at their students and wonder what difference they’re really making. Of course, that’s a matter of faith. While most may never know, here’s the story of one who was given the gift.

Nearly 50 years ago, Mercy Sister Lucille Socciarelli looked in the eyes of her seventh-graders at St. Bonaventure School in Buffalo, N.Y. There was something special about a boy who sat in front of her desk. He was especially bright; a good boy with a keen wit...