Scottish Catholic Observer

The Glasgow school received a visit from Fr Peter Walters—founder of the charity Let the Children Live!—who spoke to the pupils about his work in the South American country, helping children who live on the street and in shantytowns.

Fr Walters (above right) spoke to the pupils about how he started the charity after becoming stranded with no money during a trip to Colombia in the 1980s. Street children found his plight amusing and helped him during his ordeal, providing him with food until he could return home. Then a lay Anglican, Fr Walters repeatedly visited the county, and was ordained an Anglican priest, before being received into communion with the Catholic Church and ordained to Medellin Diocese, Colombia, in 1995.

In 1992 he had founded Let the Children Live! which has since helped thousands of children, in part thanks to the fundraising efforts of Scottish pupils.

Lauren Stirling, an S2 pupil, said she found it ‘very upsetting that these children have to go through such horrible abuse and terror every day of their life when we have homes, families, food and clothes,’ adding that ‘I should thank God more for what I have.’

Fellow pupil Amy McMahon said she thought the talk was brilliant. “I learned about the drug gangs using landmines to defend their drug crops from the police, hurting many children,” she said. “I really enjoyed looking at the pictures of the children before and after he helped them.”

Joseph Houston said he thought the talk was good but it was ‘sad because of the way the street children have to live,’ while Nikki Hunter said she found it sick that people kill street children for no reason.

Ryan Hamilton said he thinks Let the Children Live! is an amazing charity and added that ‘Fr Peter risks his life to help the children get free from prostitution and drug dealing.’

During his talk, Fr Walters showed the pupils a picture of a severely undernourished girl. Pupil Elle Forbes said she was glad to see that the homeless children ‘looked really different and happy once Fr Peter had helped them,’ with Aleigha Haley adding that she was ‘so happy that Fr Peter is trying to help the street children have a better life.’

Paul Kierney, principal teacher of RE at the school, described Fr Walters as ‘a real kind of modern day saint; very humble and very gentle and quietly spoken.’

“The kids were really taken by him,” he said. “You could hear a pin drop when he was telling tales from Colombia. He is mixing with guys who are taking kids into prostitution and drugs. A few of the teachers were just overwhelmed.”

In 2001, Fr Walters met Pope St John Paul II, the school’s patron saint. Inspired by the priest’s talk, the John Paul Academy pupils have decided to take up fundraising work on the charity’s behalf.

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—Read the full version of this story in the February 27 edition of the SCO in parishes from Friday.