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A virtual walk to the Presentation congregations in the Conference
In May, Carrie Hansen, cojourner director and justice commission contact, shared the idea that we should do a “virtual walk” to the Gathering of Presentation People. She invited sisters, cojourners and employees to share their daily steps with her. In wanting to keep things very simple, steps could be tracked on a phone or watch or by keeping track of the time spent doing an activity such as walking, pool therapy, physical therapy, exercising, working in the garden, etc.
Each week participants submit their steps / minutes of exercise to Carrie and she calculates the miles. Starting in Aberdeen, S.D., our goal was to travel to each of the congregation locations or places of significance to our congregation, as well as other congregations, and ending at the Presentation Gathering in Sioux Falls, S.D.
We stopped along the journey and learned a bit of history about each of the areas.
- Fargo ~ Presentation Prayer Center
- Miles City, Montana ~ founding of Holy Rosary Healthcare, Miles City, Montana
- Pocatello, Idaho and Corona, New Mexico
- San Francisco congregation
- San Jose, California ~ Presentation High School
- Los Angeles
- Albuquerque, New Mexico ~ Presentation ministries throughout the years
- San Antonio, Texas
- Lantern Light, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Meridian, Mississippi ~ Earth’s Bounty Fair showcasing locally made and grown products
- Staten Island, New York, congregation
- Fitchburg, Massachusetts, congregation
- Newburgh, New York, congregation
- We crossed the St. Croix River into Canada and reached the Presentation Sisters congregation in John’s Newfoundland and Labrador.
- We are now on the way to Dubuque.
So far we have logged over 9,000 miles. Even with the postponement of the Gathering to September 2022, we are not stopping. We will continue our trek across North America and extend our “virtual journey” across the pond to learn a bit more about our foundress and then on to visit other Presentation congregations around the globe.
“We know not everyone shares their steps/miles/minutes with us, but those that do have reported a feeling of accomplishment and accountability to keep themselves physically active and challenge themselves each week. There has been a wonderful response from our Presentation People for this adventure. I enjoy researching Congregations and their ministries over the years and learning more about areas of our country and our neighbor Canada. It will be great fun to continue this journey and see how far we can travel and what we will learn in the next year,” shared Carrie.