St. Agnes Cathedral School unveils Centennial Prayer Walk

Posted

The St. Agnes Cathedral School officially unveiled its Centennial Prayer Walk on Dec. 7, which was built to celebrate the institution’s 100-year history.

The walkway, on Clinton Ave. just north of the school, contains 500 bricks surrounding a small garden adorned with a statue of Mary. “We were looking for something to celebrate the 100th year and what we could do that would be something that would be lasting,” said Helen Newman, former co-principal of the school, who, along with Sister Kathleen Carlin, is co-chairing the committee dedicated to commemorating the anniversary.

Landscaping for the Prayer Walk began in July, Newman said. In September, the school began accepting donations from parish and school families interested in having a brick engraved. Nearly 50 engraved bricks have been laid on the Prayer Walk so far, she added, and more will be incorporated in the coming months.

Thousands of dollars have been raised through the brick engravings, and Newman said the funds would be earmarked for a project that would bolster the school’s technology in some way.

Nearly 200 first- and eighth-grade students attended the ceremony, as well as representatives from the school’s Mothers’ Club and Fathers’ Club, who donated the statue. The unveiling was purposely scheduled a day before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day celebrating the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

“People were just so pleased…that it’s just such a beautiful addition to the school,” Newman said, adding that she has watched as people say a prayer as they go by. “It’s just such a reminder and just so present.”