latest

MARCH 20, 2010

          Two notable events dominated the month of March at Our Lady of Mount Carmel: the feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph.

          The feast of St. Patrick, Wednesday March 17, was the day chosen for a dinner-auction held in the school gymnasium. The ladies of the parish prepared the traditional Irish corn beef, potatoes and cabbage, and baked thirty loaves of soda bread, as well as traditional cookies for the occasion. Parishioners solicited items from local businesses, that were donated and then auctioned off by a combination of live and closed auctions. The faculty and students of the Academy were responsible for the entertainment, which consisted in musicians playing a variety of Irish songs and melodies throughout the evening, and a play depicting the life of St. Patrick, during which the high school boys were able to demonstrate their newly acquired public speaking talents. The 200 people in attendance all had a great time, in honor of St. Patrick, and enjoyed the hot and wholesome food provided, as well as the entertainment and the company. The majority were parishioners either from Our Lady of Mount Carmel or from the Society’s chapels in Toronto and in St. Catharines, but there were also a good number of visitors invited by them. As well as cementing a great parish spirit, the evening raised around $2,000 for the Academy.

The sign advertizing the St. Patrick’s dinner, made and painted by the Academy students and  erected a couple of weeks before the event.		A view of the gym set up and decorated for the St. Patrick’s dinner, and of the stage prepared for the presentation of the life of St. Patrick. .

          St. Joseph’s feast day followed only two days later, on March 19. The Academy assisted at the High Mass, sung by the schola of teachers and students. Before the Offertory took place the ceremony for the reception of new members and advancement of others in the Archconfraternity of St. Stephen. During the ceremony, four new Master of Ceremonies made their offering of their service on the altar to Almighty God, promising to observe the rules of the Archconfraternity, for the greater glory of God and the salvation of their souls. This brought to nine the number of Masters of Ceremonies at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Likewise, five new Senior Acolytes made or renewed their promises in the Archconfraternity, bringing the total of Senior Acolytes to twelve. Eleven new Junior Acolytes were received into the Archconfraternity, bringing the total number of active members to thirty-two. Cassocks had to be borrowed for the event, and even then we still did not have enough. May they be faithful to their engagement, and zealous for their Eucharistic King.

Father Scott receives the promises of the new and advancing members of the Archconfraternity of St. Stephen on the altar of the chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy, as parishioners watch on.		Father Scott together with the new and advanced members of the Archconfraternity of St. Stephen after the ceremony of March 19, feast of St. Joseph, on the steps to the school building.

          After a quick lunch, the children began their annual spelling bee, for which they had been preparing for weeks. The competition was intense and lasted three and a half hours. They were divided into five separate groups according to grade level: 1st & 2nd, 3rd & 4th, 5th & 6th, 7th & 8th, and high school. Each group was subdivided into groups of three, who competed on the stage in the gym, with those in attendance listening carefully. The winners then played off in second, third or fourth rounds. During a brief ceremony at the end of the afternoon, Father Scott awarded a certificate and book prize to the student that topped each grade level competition. There was much to discuss afterwards, as can be imagined.

Two attentive third graders fight it out on the gym stage during a final round of the spelling bee in their division.

          Meanwhile, the work on the construction of the upstairs bookshelves was completed during the second week of March. The sanding, staining, varnishing are now in the process of being completed by the boarding boys themselves, during their daily work duties.

previous news