On October 2, as the Vedruna “Santa Rosa” School in Constitución, Chile, we want to highlight a value that we all need and that each of us can help build: peace.
Peace begins with our everyday actions. Building it requires courage: the courage to ask for forgiveness, to acknowledge our mistakes, to respectfully stand up for those who are being treated unfairly, and to understand that we can have different opinions and still live together, engage in dialogue, and work together.
In this spirit, on Friday, October 2, to mark the end of Patriotism Month, our school community held a peace walk, joining in the celebration of the International Day of Peace (observed on September 21), with the hope of praying and asking for peace in our world.
Our students, their families, teachers, faculty, pastoral teams, and members of the entire Vedruna Charismatic Family who wished to join us participated. The girls, dressed in traditional Chilean costumes—especially “huasitas”—brought beautiful color to this day of fellowship and prayer.
Each family prepared posters with messages of peace, expressing the idea that building a more compassionate world begins in our homes, at school, and in our daily relationships.
As a school, we wanted to speak out and come together in prayer, asking God the Father to hear our pleas and help us be peacemakers where we live.
For the Vedruna Family, this call takes on special meaning as we celebrate 200 years of a mission of love and service, begun by Saint Joaquina de Vedruna. Her legacy invites us to live our faith in our daily lives, to educate with love, and to always recognize the dignity of every person.
It was a simple walk, but one full of meaning: walking together, praying together, and renewing our commitment to building peace.
María Cecilia Torres, LV
