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Feature News | Friday, March 16, 2018

For Parkland: Hail Marys, banners and balloons

Archdiocesan students focus on prayer during National School Walkout

MIAMI | With Hail Marys, banners and balloons, archdiocesan students took part in the National School Walkout March 14 in remembrance of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School exactly one month earlier. 

Here’s a sampling of some of what the archdiocesan schools did:

  • Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School, Miami: Faculty, staff and students gathered at the flagpole 10 a.m. for 17 minutes of silence. At the end of each minute, a bell rang, a balloon was released, and the name of one of the Parkland victims was announced. At the end of the 17 minutes, the entire community read a prayer for the end of school violence.
  • Cardinal Gibbons High School, Fort Lauderdale: See story: Walkout turns into ‘walk up’ at Gibbons
  • Epiphany School, Miami: All students stopped at 10 a.m. to pray 17 Hail Marys, one for each of the Parkland victims. “We took time to pray together as a community,” said the post on their Instagram page.
  • Immaculata-La Salle High School, Miami: At about 1:10 p.m., all students watched a 10-minute video in their classrooms. The video, created by senior Veronica Lam, combined vigil videos, footage, and news reports on the shooting found on YouTube and added Immaculata-La Salle students' and teachers' thoughts. It served, according to its creator, "as a testament to our solidarity with the students and faculty of Majorie Stoneman Douglas High School and also sends a message of hope for our future as students and educators." Afterward, the students walked in silence to the courtyard area, where some read speeches remembering the Parkland victims and reflecting on what people can do to make the world a little better each day. The memorial closed with a prayer. The students were then free to go back to class or remain in the breezeway/cafeteria with social studies teachers and student government moderators Lauren Gomez and Gabriel Suarez, to write letters to legislators and interest groups.
  • Immaculate Conception School, Hialeah: At 2:22 p.m., the church bells tolled 17 times, and eighth-grade students stood in silence for 17 minutes in the field. They formed a circle around 14 students and three faculty members, each holding a candle representing the lives that were lost (via Instagram).
  • Msgr. Edward Pace High School, Miami Gardens: See story: Parkland remembrance turns personal for Pace High student
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Miami: Students took part in a prayer service from 9:45 to 10:20 a.m. The prayer service was broadcast live on Radio Paz (830 AM).
  • Our Lady of the Lakes, Miami Lakes: In remembrance of the victims, middle school students gathered in the school’s Rosary Garden for prayer, reflection, and a call for peace (via Instagram).
  • St. Brendan High School, Miami: Calling it a “prayout” rather than a walkout, the students left their classrooms at 9:50 a.m. and were led in procession to the softball and baseball fields, where they gathered for a prayer service from 10 to 10:20 a.m.
  • St. Michael the Archangel School, Miami: Third through eighth-graders participated in a “Walkout in Remembrance, Prayer and Peace.” To conclude the walk, they released 17 white balloons in remembrance of all those who lost their lives.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fort Lauderdale: Students gathered for simultaneous assemblies at 10 a.m., freshmen and seniors in the main gym and juniors and sophomores in the practice gym. The student leadership team planned and led a memorial service at each assembly.
 This article has been expanded since publication, to describe the content of the video seen by Immaculata-La Salle students.

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