Viewpoint: student reflects on Peace Walk

members of Trinity School Pax Christi group

On the first day of Lent, a group of students from Trinity Catholic School, Leamington Spa, joined the annual Ash Wednesday Peace Walk in London, from Embankment Gardens to the Ministry of Defence. Mollie Edwards, from Year Ten, reflects on the day. She writes:

We went on the peace walk to promote peace and a non-violent attitude throughout our school, to show that Trinity is not a community where violence is accepted, but a community where peace and a non-violent approach to life is rewarded and admired.

When we arrived we hurriedly made our way to meet the rest of the participants of the walk outside the Ministry Of Defence (MoD) . We were greeted warmly and had the pleasure of meeting a few of the 100 or so participants who are just as concerned as us about the Government's recent decision to renew Trident.

We proceeded to walk round to where some of the ash markings were on the building. Myself and the Vice Chairman of Pax Christi Group at Trinity – Saffy Pugh – stood and walked holding our flag. It contains a simple image of flames; known to represent light and scriptural references to Christ being the ‘light of the world’, the flame also signifies warmth and cleansing.

The word ‘repent’ was written on the pavement outside the building in ashes. Several of us joined in this task. We then joined in with a series of prayers - one was a reading from the Chairman of the Pax Christi group at Trinity – Caitlin Knights.

We then walked to round the corner where a few last prayers and speeches were said, before we said our goodbyes and left to catch the train back home.

We decided to set up a Pax Christi group within the Trinity community for many reasons. For one, Trinity felt it was important to show all the students what our community stands for and to express how both Trinity and Catholicism are communities of peace. There were also some individual students who showed a personal interest in getting together and helping to improve our school, by creating behavioural and anti-bullying groups through Pax Christi as well as addressing government decisions on various local and national issues.

We we wanted to be a part of such a wonderful organisation that does so much to try to help make the world a better place and to do so through our faith. There people of many different faiths in our school but we share the same beliefs on peace and non-violence.

In my opinion, the government is spending money on war and nuclear weapons that should be going towards overseas aid.

What message are we giving the next generation? It seems to me that by funding destructive weapons, we are putting them at risk, and they are growing up in a world where violence and war is 'normal' and 'accepted'.

It worries me that people are so indifferent to these issues - maybe they don't care or simply don't understand. To me, to spend money on weapons while cutting aid to countries where people are homeless or sick or starving is simply awful. It is wrong.