Catholic students embark on pilgrimage to support developing nations
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School is preparing for the 100th anniversary of an apparition.
The St. Catharines school is named after what are believed to be visits by the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children outside the Portuguese village of Fatima in 1917.
School principal Branka Jones and her Super Six team of students outlined preparations to the Niagara Catholic District School Board on Tuesday night.
Students will blend a message of prayers for peace and encouragement of community service.
The school created a play outlining the story of the three children and six appearances between May 13 and October 13, 1917.
At the board’s Welland headquarters, Our Lady of Fatima recreated a miracle scene from Oct. 13, 1917 “when the sun danced” along with photographs from the school’s play.
The students made the presentations in both English and French. The school on Vine Street is one of Niagara Catholic’s five French-Immersion sites.
Our Lady of Fatima has 215 students. It opened as a four classroom annex in 1952 at St. Alfred Catholic School and moved to Vine in 1954.
Classrooms were added in 1958, 1960 and 1983 along with a gym, change room and library. The French immersion program was added in 2013.
Niagara Catholic high school students take to streets for 41st year
About 4,000 students from Niagara Catholic’s eight high schools on Sunday morning will walk in local versions of an annual pilgrimage to help fund programs in developing nations.
It involves students, staff, trustees, parents and supporters.
“This pilgrimage is our annual outreach to developing nations and is in addition to the many ways in which our students support those less fortunate in our Niagara communities throughout the year,” the Niagara Catholic District School Board said.
Since the 15- to 20-kilometre pilgrimages began at Notre Dame College School in Welland in 1975 almost $7 million has been raised for international projects.
In Grimsby, Blessed Trinity students, staff and supporters will walk from the school to Centennial Park and back.
They will raise money for La Payas community in the Dominican Republic.
In St. Catharines, Denis Morris, Holy Cross and St. Francis pilgrims will leave their schools to meet for a service in the Market Square on King Street.
Denis Morris is walking for Wells of Hope in Guatemala and Ecole Immaculee Conception in Pilate Haiti. Holy Cross will help the Holy Cross Brothers in Thibeau, Haiti.
St. Francis funds will assist St. Marc School, run by the Holy Cross Sisters in Haiti, Fogquest in Guatemala and the Dominican Canadian Community Development Group.
In Port Colborne, Lakeshore Catholic students will walk from the school to the Friendship Trail and then along it before returning to the school by Fares and Killaly streets.
Lakeshore will assist programs for youth and seniors in Dominica.
In Welland, Notre Dame College students will follow the Welland Canal Trail to Dain City and back.
Notre Dame pilgrims will raise funds for Development and Peace, Yancana Huasy in Peru and the Dominican Canadian Community Development Group.
In Niagara Falls, Saint Paul and Saint Michael students will walk together from Saint Paul to Thorold Stone Road and return to Saint Paul.
St. Michael will walk for Hope for Rwanda Children’s Fund and St. Paul Immaculate Conception School in Haiti.
The fall pilgrimage began at Notre Dame College School in 1975 on a suggestion from Rev. Jim Mulligan. He had recently completed a pilgrimage in Europe.
Review begins for south Niagara Falls Catholic schools
An attendance area review of Catholic schools in southern Niagara Falls has begun.
It will involve the family of schools for Saint Michael and Saint Paul Catholic high schools.
The review committee will hold a series of public meetings in November.
They are at Loretto Catholic Elementary School on Nov.9, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Elementary School, on Nov. 10 and St. Michael Catholic High School on Nov. 28 with a second one at the high school on Dec. 14.
All the public meetings begin at 7 p.m.
The review could affect Loretto, Father Hennepin and Our Lady of Mount Carmel elementary schools and Saint Michael high school. The board is trying to adjust to changes in capacity in the Niagara Falls schools.