​On Thursday, May 5, 2011, about 1,200 students, along with teachers, staff and parents of the Halton Catholic District School Board, will participate in the Board’s second annual Walk With Jesus.

Student representatives from each of the Board’s schools will participate in the walk, with the whole student population at each school invited to participate in a local walk at some time throughout Catholic Education Week (May 1-6, 2011).

Participants will gather at Bronte Provincial Park in Oakville for an opening Liturgy at 9:15 a.m., and will then walk together to Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School, where the walk will conclude with an outdoor Mass celebrated by Father Ray Modeski at 12:00 p.m.

The Walk With Jesus is intended to build a sense of community and enhance the students’ knowledge, understanding and personal experience with solidarity. Another focus for the event is to fundraise for charitable commitments at both the local and national level.
 
“Held during Catholic Education Week, this annual walk provides students with a unique opportunity to demonstrate Catholic witness, as they walk for social justice,” explains Lorrie Naar, Superintendent of Education, Halton Catholic District School Board. “The Board’s students will demonstrate that children helping children is an achievable goal and a valid aspiration.”

All of the proceeds from this day will support the Board’s social justice commitments including the Halton St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association (OCSTA) Toonies for Tuition, and the Canadian Missions in Canada – First Nations Ministries. Additional fundraising opportunities are being encouraged at the local level, and may include local walkathons, spirit days, movie nights, raffles and penny drives.