On Nov. 17, about 120 parishioners, including many youth, walked three miles over the mountain to St. Charles parish in Bloomington and three miles back again, with pledges from sponsors to pay so much per mile walked. They raised over $7,000 to buy a used house trailer, fix it up, haul it to the site, put some furniture in it, and get water and gas installed.
Besides the 120 walkers, other ministries of the parish supported the effort by providing water, oranges, bread, and traffic control; and the Danza Azteca group provided more energy at St. Charles when they arrived so they could make it back to St. Mary’s. The youth of St. Charles welcomed the walkers with sandwiches and bread and a tour of their beautiful new church as well.
The parish hopes to make an annual event out of this walk to support some of the needs of so many struggling families in the area, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas.