Students undertake camino to become closer to God

Courtesy photo/St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School

+ Enlarge

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School students display the stickers they received at each stop along the "Camino de San Vicente."

On April 28, eighth-graders and teachers at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School led students in grades kindergarten through seventh on the “Camino de San Vicente,” or the Way of Saint Vincent. The school’s Faith Formation Committee based this school/family activity on the Camino de Santiago. The students were told that, because not everyone can travel to Spain for the big Camino, a shortened version would be done on campus. The goal of a pilgrimage is to become closer to God, and that could be done at the school.

The students began by praying, “Lord, as you rose at Easter, please help us rise with you – to be closer to you, to be more like you, and to see you in places we have not seen you before, in particular to see you in other people. Help us to grow closer to you as we walk our camino today.”

Like the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago who can receive a stamp at different stops along the way, each student was given a sticker chart. At each of the 12 stops around campus, the family leaders read a different passage, such as the following, which was read when students arrived at the campus pond:  

“The water in this pond gives life to the trees, bushes and grass on our campus. Jesus gives us life, and gave us the promise of eternal life by rising on Easter morning. This Easter sticker reminds us of God’s gift of life.”

Another stop on the Camino de San Vicente was Nano Nagle Children’s Center, which used to be the convent for the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary who worked at St. Vincent’s for 30 years. At this stop, the leader read, “The sisters who lived at Nano Nagle for 30 years had great faith to move to another country to help children learn about God. They didn’t know if St. Vincent School would do well or fail, but their faith in God helped them succeed. We can do what the sisters did by following what this sticker says: ‘We walk by faith, not by sight.’”

The experience had several benefits, said Lexie, an eighth-grade family leader. “When we did the Camino here at St. Vincent’s, it helped us to not only feel connected to Jesus, but also with the school. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to walk the real walk, but the way we went all around campus made it seem like we were going all around the world. It was a blast for the younger kids as they got stickers at each destination, and it was a good way for us big kids to really feel connected to God. We had so much fun taking turns reading about how each place we stopped connected to the walk, and it was so interesting and fun.”

The school hopes that the students will remember the Camino de San Vicente for the rest of their lives, and that it will serve as a recurrent reminder that God is always with them.

Courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School