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JANUARY 25, 2009

On Saturday January 17, Mr. Andrew Slinko brought in the rest of the altar that he had refurbished - the tabernacle and gradines - and attached them to the altar. The elaborate decoration gives as grand an appearance as possible in a small chapel, combined with the new hanging sanctuary lamp. The following day Mr. Joseph Ryder left to return to Illinois, after more than a week cleaning and fixing many things in the school building.

A view of Mr. Andrew Slinko putting up the new hanging sanctuary lamp on the wall, after having attached the tabernacle and gradine to the new altar.		Mr. Slinko and Father Scott pose before the new altar, with its new crucifix, and the new sanctuary lamp.

It was on Wednesday January 21 that the first funeral was celebrated in the new chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Mrs. Ann Burns, who passed away on the 17th, had been a parishioner of the Society’s, together with her husband Henry, for 30 years. She had been unable to get to church for the past three years, but received Holy Communion every First Saturday, and passed away after a long illness. The entire school was present at the funeral, and sang the Requiem Mass for the repose of her soul.

Sprinkling the casket with holy water during the Absolution.

At the back of the chapel, Father May leads the boys' schola in the singing of the gregorian chant of the Requiem Mass.		Father Scott at the Confiteor of the funeral Requiem Mass for Mrs. Ann Burns, the first funeral at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Friday January 23 was the last day of the second Quarter, and marked the end of the tests and examinations. The afternoon, there were no classes, but instead a first ice skating excursion. The school rented the local Wilmot Recreation Centre and had exclusive use of the ice rink for two hours. Several home schoolers also came and joined in the fun. Whilst the girls practiced their figure skating at one end, the boys indulged in an ice hockey tournament at the other, with many falls on the ice.

A view of the boys from Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the foreground playing ice-hockey with Father May, whilst the girls skate in the back ground at the other end of the rink.

On Saturday 24, the boarders headed off for a first use of the snow shoes that had been loaned to the school, hiking with them through nearby forests, until they came to a good hill to slide down. The same day the good news about the lifting of the so-called excommunications broke. The next day, the 25th, the documents were made available to the faithful and Father Scott explained to the faithful at Sunday Mass the meaning of this canonical measure, that will be of no small help to the school, as to all the Society’s apostolate. It was reassuring to see an overflowing chapel, with over 100 faithful in attendance, and this for only the third Mass in the new chapel.