CAFOD campaign.
‘Share the Journey’, CAFOD’s campaign of awareness raising of the plight of refugees saw Augustinians of all ages – from Nursery to Priory 6 to staff and parents walking around the school grounds last week. Throughout the week, from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd June each class gathered in our Chapel and then set out to walk twice around the perimeter of our school grounds – equalling one mile. The walk ended with participants gathering in our Prayer Garden. On Thursday 21st June our Lower VI, accompanied by Mrs Raffray, Headteacher, Mrs McDermott, Head of Religious Studies and Ms Hagerty, Director of Priory 6 (our Sixth Form) walked to Ealing Broadway Station with a banner proclaiming ‘Share the Journey’.
At the end of the week our grand total walked came to 571.5 miles. This is an incredible achievement and we are proud to be able to add our total to the CAFOD miles walked so far.
Mrs McDermott, Head of Religious Studies, commented, ‘This was an amazing week and a wonderful opportunity to walk in solidarity. A week we will always treasure’.
We were honoured that we were able to carry a Lampedusa cross (borrowed from CAFOD) which was carried on each walk with each child in turn able to hold it. The Lampedusa crosses were made by Francesco Tuccio, a carpenter from the Italian island of Lampedusa. CAFOD continues ‘When hundreds of refugees who were fleeing Eritrea and Somalia drowned off the coast of Lampedusa, he was moved to gather the driftwood from the wrecked boats and turn them into crosses, which he offered to survivors as a small but powerful symbol of hope’.
Every year thousands of people around the world flee their home countries in a bid to reach safety, risking danger and death.
During their walks each class stopped at certain points where information on individual refugees was posted in our grounds and the girls used the walk to meditate on the journeys made by refugees from around the world.
Those supporting CAFOD’s campaign had reached their initial goal by June of 24,900 miles – the distance around the world. Now we hope that our contribution from St Augustine’s Priory will go towards enabling a second walk around the world to be accomplished.
This walk was about accompanying someone on their journey – to learn and to become aware.
