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NOVEMBER 21, 2012

         The biggest event this Fall was undoubtedly the blessing of the new convent of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, performed by Father Scott on the patronal feast day, Wednesday October 3. The ceremony of the blessing of the convent had to await the completion of all the work done in the basement. It was followed by an evening Mass, the first to be celebrated in the new convent. A dinner reception followed, attended not only by the very happy Oblate Sisters Maria Guadalupe and Mary Barbara, but also by all the boarding girls, and by the parishioners and families who had helped in the preparation of the new convent and its private oratory. It is a great consolation for the Sisters and for the girls to have the use of their whole house and to be able to assist at Mass six days a week under their own roof.

Saint Terese of the Child Jesus beautiful new Chapel.

The chapel is filled for the blessing of the new convent and the consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Father Scott poses with Sister Maria Barbara, Sister Maria Guadalupe and the girls of St. Therese of the Child Jesus Convent.

Sister Maria Guadalupe poses beside the patron saint of the convent and girls’ dormitory.

          Thanksgiving Day, October 8, was a day off, and so all the boy boarders headed off to Hewlett Conservation Area, for lots of fresh air, a great hike and an outdoor barbecue, while the girls set off for a trip to Niagara falls. The use of the golden chariot, the school`s old school bus, remains a great help, enabling the 29 boy boarders to take off every weekend and sometimes even during the week.

          The feast of Christ the King was celebrated with as much solemnity as possible, using our newly acquired canopy for the procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the property after the Sunday High Mass. All Saints`, November 1, was a feast day to which the children had been looking forward (no school!). Not only did it give them the opportunity to dress up as saints of their choosing, but also to look up obscure saints with which to trick the Fathers, attempting to guess who they were. All the children participated, and after a long series of saints, prizes were awarded for the best presentation and costume in every age group. Bags of candies, given to all the children, completed the atmosphere of a celebration. The high schoolers had the alternative of presenting skits on the life of a saint, and four groups of them did so, the best being a presentation of the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, which won a pizza dinner for them.

2nd and 3rd grade young artisans display their crafts

Archery: Father May and Mr. Vander Meer instruct the boys in the art of Archery

          All Souls` Day, November 2, was the last day of the quarter, and was preceded by a week of tests for all students. The second quarter began the following Monday, November 5. However, it was a busy week for the faculty, for they had to finalize all the their grades and report cards by Friday November 9, at which time Father Scott was able to call in all the students individually and hand their report cards, along with his assessment of the quality of their work and application to duty. Parent-teacher meetings were schedule the following Friday, November 16, for all those parents who live in Ontario, so that they could meet and discuss their children`s performance with the home room teachers and the teachers of the major subjects. It was a busy afternoon, with parents passing from one classroom to another according to a complicated schedule, not always adhered to.

          Tuesday November 20 was the day for the trip to the old fort of St. Marie among the Hurons in Midland, Ontario. It had been 3 ½  years since the school`s last trip there, and very few of the present students had been there. It is a reconstruction of the buildings and life of the first Jesuit missionaries in the 1640s, among whom were counted the Canadian Martyrs. Although the mindset of the presentation is, of course, very liberal, nevertheless the buildings, artifacts and museum were all very instructional as the extraordinary example of true charity which filled their souls. It was grades 2 – 8 who were entitled to go, filling up the bus for the three hour trip each way.

Faculty and students of the grade school and boys’ high school pose at the edge of the soccer field in October 2012

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