Across Ontario, Catholic schools continue to find meaningful ways to help students live their faith — not just learn about it. This fall, students in the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board (NPSC) did just that through a powerful experience known as the Pilgrimage of the Cross.
During the months of October and November, students and staff from both elementary and secondary schools stepped outside their classrooms and into their communities, journeying together in prayer. Along city streets in North Bay and Sturgeon Falls, students processed with a large cross at the front of their pilgrimage, praying the Stations of the Cross and reflecting on Jesus’ journey to Calvary.
At the heart of this experience was an eight-foot wooden cross — the Board’s Year of Faith symbol — built by senior students at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Catholic Secondary School. As students took turns carrying the cross in small groups, they encountered faith in a physical, reflective way. Many shared afterward that even carrying the cross together was challenging, leading them to a deeper appreciation for the suffering Jesus endured and the strength He showed in carrying His cross alone.
Led by board chaplains and local parish priests, these pilgrimages transformed ordinary streets into sacred spaces. Stops along the way invited students to pause, pray, and reflect — reminding them that faith is not confined to church buildings, but walks with us through everyday life.
One of the most powerful lessons students took from the Pilgrimage of the Cross was the reminder that we are not meant to carry our crosses alone. As they supported one another along the route, students experienced the importance of community, compassion, and perseverance — values at the very heart of Catholic education.
Faith in Action: From Pilgrimage to the Classroom
Inspired by this spirit of shared faith, students continue to find creative ways to help one another engage more deeply with prayer and reflection. In December, the Catholic Leadership Student Council at Mother St. Bride Catholic School took this inspiration into their own hands.
Wanting all students to participate meaningfully in the Stations of the Cross, the student council designed a school-wide activity that connected the Stations of the Cross with the Beatitudes. This approach helped students reflect not only on Jesus’ suffering, but also on how His teachings — mercy, humility, peacemaking, and compassion — are lived out in daily life.
By pairing each station with a Beatitude, students were invited to see how faith calls us to action: to care for others, to stand with those who struggle, and to carry hope forward, even in difficult moments.
Together, these experiences — from board-wide pilgrimages to student-led classroom initiatives — beautifully demonstrate how Catholic education forms hearts as well as minds. When students are given opportunities to engage actively with their faith, they rise to the occasion with creativity, leadership, and deep reflection.
