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Happening ... in the Local Church
The 'Walk to Jerusalem' at St. Mary, Anderson
Students step up to Lenten challenge
 Students
at St. Mary School, Anderson, are doing their part to reach the goal of
6,234 miles to Jerusalem. (Photos by Kevin Cullen) |
 Students
check their progress on a map during the “Walk to Jerusalem.” |
By Kevin Cullen
The Catholic Moment
ANDERSON — The children at St. Mary School are walking to Jerusalem for Lent … without even getting their sneakers wet.
“I thought it would take about a week to get from here to Jerusalem,” said Mathilda Murphy, 9, a dark-eyed third- grader. “Sometimes I walk, and sometimes I run. It just depends on my mood. My mom is walking; she doesn’t like to run.”
“I think it’s really fun to see how Jesus walked to Calvary,” classmate Abigail McKinney said after her five-minute jog in the school gymnasium. “I gave up candy for Lent, too. I give it up every year.”
Jerusalem is 6,234 miles from Anderson. The children are walking, jogging or running laps in the gym for five minutes, twice a week, then chalking up the miles. They started in early February. They will keep going at least through Easter, and possibly through the Easter season, which ends at Pentecost.
Meanwhile, approximately 50 St. Mary parishioners, including several teachers, are walking around town, and sometimes in the church, and adding their mileage to the total. They pray and reflect on spiritual topics before and during their workouts.
As of the first week of March, all “Walk to Jerusalem” participants had logged 2,844 miles, which put them in the Atlantic Ocean. They were confident that they would reach their goal.
St. Mary’s has sponsored “Walk to Jerusalem” every Lent since 2005. The idea is to encourage spiritual and physical renewal through exercise and contemplation.
In past years, the goal was to cover only the 2,434 “land” miles. This year, they’re going for the gold: the full 6,234 miles.
Anyone exercising for 20 minutes can count that as one mile of walking. In 2005, parishioners logged 4,287 miles; in 2006, 4,476 miles, and in 2007, 4,031 miles. This is the first year that the school children have been involved, said parish nurse Kathy Halleck, who organizes the event each year.
Fasting always has been a part of Lent, she said, but “Walk to Jerusalem” has a more positive dimension, giving Catholics a chance to improve their health while enriching their spiritual lives.
“I thought it was neat for the school and the church to work together with a community effort,” Halleck said. “The kids seem to enjoy it. It’s part of every gym class, two times a week. The kids are getting really excited.”
A wall map and posters are updated every week. On a typical week, church members walked 635 miles, and the school kids added 333 more.
“If everyone keeps up on pace, we will make it to Jerusalem,” said gym teacher Mindi Richardson. “The kids say, ‘Are we walking on water?’ I say, ‘Since we’re following Jesus, I guess we are.’”
St. Mary School has an enrollment of 159, in grades pre-school through eight.
As she walks, third-grader Susan Rangel said, “I probably think about how Jesus suffered, carrying the cross.”
Elaine Brinson, the third-grade teacher at St. Mary, decided to join in this year. She walks up and down the stairs for 15 minutes at a time.
“It really makes you more mindful (of Lent). It kind of makes me focus,” she said.
Kathleen Smith, director of religion at the school, said she likes the “whole person” nature of the project.
“It connects the everyday ‘what we are’ with the spiritual dimension in our lives,” she said. She said she also liked the idea of integrating and involving the school into the parish as a whole, building a “faith family.”
“I log about 12 miles a week,” Smith said. “I don’t walk as much as I swim.”
Halleck brought the activity to St. Mary after hearing about it at a gathering for parish nurses.
She provides each adult participant with a Bible verse and reflection that can be carried along on each week’s walk. A short “breath prayer” is designed to be repeated throughout the workout.
Each participant also is asked to write down a thought to focus on as he’s walking, a list of prayer concerns, and observations or inspirations that surface.
Some are walking inside St. Mary Church when the weather is bad.
That’s a special experience, Halleck said.
“I find it really relaxing,” she said. “I bring my rosary and pray while I walk. It’s comforting to be so close to God.”