Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: Programs

Sudbury Catholic Schools Prepare for the Triduum

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Over the next three weeks Sudbury Catholic Schools students along with their parents/guardians families, teachers and Board staff will be preparing to celebrate the Triduum.

The greatest mysteries of the redemption are celebrated yearly by the Church beginning with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and ending with Vespers of Easter Sunday. This time is called “the triduum of the crucified, buried and risen;” it is also called the “Easter Triduum” because during it is celebrated the paschal mystery, that is, the passing of the Lord from this world to his Father. The Church, by the celebration of this mystery through liturgical signs and sacramentals, is united to Christ, her spouse, in intimate communion.

The Easter fast is sacred on the first two days of the Triduum, in which, according to ancient tradition, the Church fasts “because the Spouse has been taken away.” Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence; it is also recommended that Holy Saturday be so observed, so that the Church, with uplifted and welcoming heart, be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection.

The Easter Triduum is prepared for by Lent and it is prolonged for fifty days of the Easter Season. The Lenten Season has two purposes: a) to prepare catechumens to celebrate the paschal mystery through the sacraments of initiation; b) to prepare the faithful to celebrate the paschal mystery by penance for the renewal of their baptismal promises.

After centuries of neglect, Pope Pius XII restored the Triduum to its rightful place as the culmination of the liturgical year. The only way to really understand the Triduum is to savour it by active participation. In song, through ritual and sensory experience, the single, three day long liturgy plunges us into the Paschal Mystery. Our participation in the liturgical act is, then, the opportunity for us to enter into the mystery of Christ’s dying and rising. The life of the Christian is to be lived in union with Christ who “dying destroyed our death, rising restored our life.” It is the mystery of dying and rising with Christ that is at the heart of the Easter mystery.

St. Benedict Students Passionate About the Environment

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St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School is located in the south end of the City of Greater Sudbury. Like many other high schools in the region it has great sports teams, high academic standings, terrific school spirit and a deep and caring concern for the planet. However, it is level, breadth and intensity of this concern for the environment that makes it unique. Through a core group of passionate and enthusiastic students coupled with supportive teachers and the integration of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s comprehensive Dearness Conservation (DC) program, St. Benedict has developed a reputation for being a dedicated steward of the earth.

In Spring 2006, DC approached St. Benedict CSS students to campaign in their neighbourhoods to promote the Interactive Home Audit. The Interactive Home Audit was an online survey that homeowners would complete to determine their energy consumption. The audit then offered suggestions on how energy and money could be saved by implementing simple, efficient changes.

Groups of two to three students canvassed their neighbourhoods distributing pamphlets and florescent light bulbs to residents who agreed to complete the Home Audit. The students were overwhelmed with the results of the campaign as they felt that they had reached a great number of homeowners in the Sudbury area with their targeted message. Upon the completion of the Home Audit program, Efficient Sudbury deemed the St. Benedict groups as the most efficient representatives based on the feedback from residents who were targeted by the campaign.

In November 2007, Dearness Conservation held a school wide presentation to give students and staff an update on climate change. The students were enthralled by a dynamic, comprehensive presentation highlighting the effects of climate change and individual choices that can be made to reduce the impacts on our planet. Following the presentation, interactive workshops were held with grade ten science classes which peaked the interest of many younger environmentalists.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s DC Conservation Challenge was launched to encourage each school to reduce their waste, water, and energy usage with the incentive of winning $500 for re-greening initiatives. St. Benedict has also established itself as an environmental icon purely through the initiatives of its students. Each year the St. Benedict Environmental club competes in the Ontario Annual Envirothon and have won the Oral Presentation Award for the most practical solution for pressing environmental issues for the past two years. Students must employ their extensive knowledge of environmental topics, as well as their originality and creativity. Students are also in charge of many environmental services within the school. Weekly recycling is coordinated by students as well the collection of cell phones and used batteries for proper disposal. The Environment team is adamant about ensuring that all recyclables are placed in the proper bins and that students and staff are being environmentally conscious with energy and water consumption.

St. Benedict is a remarkable school that takes environmentalism to heart. With the culmination of the DC initiatives and resources, supportive teachers, and passionate students, St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School is a school with an environmental conscience.

Lent and Almsgiving at Immaculate Conception Catholic School

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The students at Immaculate Conception Catholic School have come to realize that the Lenten season calls us to pray, to fast and to give alms. By giving alms, Jesus teaches us to make the needs of others our own, especially the needy of our world. Throughout the school year and during this season of Lent, the Staff and students at Immaculate Conception School show their love and support for their foster child, Chisinsi Sinoya and her small village. Chisinsi’s community is situated in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, the region that is part of the Central African Plateau.

Students and staff organize fundraising activities to support Chisinsi in attending primary school that provides her with a nutritious meal, medical assistance, and a good quality of life.

The Ark of the New Covenant Visits Sudbury Catholic Schools

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Every four years, Catholic faithful from around the world are invited to gather together to reflect and celebrate the great mystery of the Eucharist during the International Eucharistic Congress. From June 15 to 22, 2008 it is expected that between 12,000 and 15,000 bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay people will gather in Quebec City to come to a deeper appreciation of “the Eucharist, gift of God for the life of the world,” the theme of this 49th Congress. The year 2008 also has special significance for the church of Quebec. It marks the 400th anniversary of the first permanent French establishment in North America and the beginning of the spread of Catholic faith into what would become the once vast New France. Congress officials express a confident hope that the Holy Father will preside at the closing mass on the plains of Abraham.

In order to help the youth of the City of Greater Sudbury prepare for this event, The Ark of the New Covenant is returning to the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. It will be on display in each of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s four secondary schools from Wednesday, February 6 to Friday, February 8, 2008. During this time a Liturgy of the Word will be celebrated with the students
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The Ark will be on display at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School on Wednesday, February 6, at Marymount Academy on Thursday, February 7, at St Benedict Catholic Secondary School on Friday, February 8 in the morning and at St Charles College during the afternoon.

What is the Ark?
The Ark: A Chest: The Ark of the New Covenant is a seat, as well as a container. It is a “seat” for the King, that is, Christ, present under the form of the Eucharistic species exposed in a monstrance. It is also a chest containing the Scriptures, the Bible, which, proclaimed in the liturgy, becomes the presence of Christ who through his word teaches the people, his Church. The ship’s hold at the base of the Ark is a place where people can place testimony of their commitment as Christians to mark the passage of the Ark as it travels from one community to the next.

A Symbolic Boat: The base of the Ark is in the form of a boat, bringing to mind Noah’s Ark (cf. Genesis 6:18-22). However, it refers more to the boat of Peter. Ever since the institution of the New Covenant, the boat has been a symbol of the Church, the people of God who are journeying together.

The New and Eternal Covenant: Its name “Ark of the New Covenant,” of Biblical origin, it refers to the spiritual experience of the people of Israel and the pact they concluded with God in the time of Moses in Sinai. Since that time, Jesus signed the New Covenant with the people of the Old Covenant. The expression “New Covenant” refers in fact to the new and eternal Covenant, which came from Jesus Christ, marked by the Pascal Mystery of his death and resurrection and celebrated in the Eucharist.

The originality of the Ark is a first in the history of International Eucharistic Congresses. The hope is that it will foster creativity in the places where it travels and will serve to bring all generations together – that it may be the impetus for an ideal opportunity to unite many people in Christian reflection to help them discover, deepen and celebrate the Eucharistic Mystery to render it in every way a gift of God for the life of the world.

Sudbury Catholic Schools Celebrate Lent!

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The word CELEBRATE means to make something unique. It means to hold up to the world in a unique way something in which we believe. With this in mind, students and staff of our Sudbury Catholic Schools will join Catholics around the world in celebrating the beginning of Lent on February 6, 2008 – also known as Ash Wednesday.

The Lenten season is a gift of healing and renewal. Like our Hebrew ancestors, we sometimes struggle with desert experiences for a long time. Before Jesus started his public ministry, he withdrew into the desert. Like his ancestors, his experience was a struggle. Being in the desert is not easy. One would not call it a celebration, but if a celebration holds up to the world a belief in a unique way, then these desert experiences are truly celebrations. Both the Hebrews and Jesus discovered a gift. They discovered something about themselves, their relationship with God and their relationship with others. They discovered that God is constantly calling us to live in a relationship. God presents us with many opportunities to grow in this relationship. Time and again we might fail but time and again God offers us the opportunity to renew this relationship . . . Lent is such a time . . .

Lent is a time of healing. It is a time to remember and to embrace memories. By embracing memories, we open our hearts to healing. The good memories are easy to recall and relive but we would rather forget the painful ones. Memories of being isolated, neglected, ridiculed, unloved, misunderstood or devalued are part of all our personal stories. Our willingness to be open to the wounds is a way of taking ownership of the truth and in doing so we that can start the journey of healing. Taking ownership of the wound helps personal healing and it can help individuals to become the instrument of healing to others.

But Lent is not the end! Lent is a celebration which prepares us to celebrate the feast of feasts, EASTER. With God, life and love have the final word. As St. Paul said, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Romans. 8:38-39)

Enjoy the celebration!

SCDSB Co-Ed Volleyball Tournament Results

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board would like to congratulate the following teams on their excellent performance at the recent SCDSB Co-Ed Volleyball Tournament:

Championship Round
Corpus Christi (A) – First Place
Corpus Christi (B) – Second Place

Consolation Round
St. Christopher – First Place
St. Francis (A) – Second Place

Sudbury Catholic Schools Mark Christian Unity Week

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This year, January 18 to 25, 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of Christian Unity Week. In 1908 at Graymoor in Garrison, New York, the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement held the first Church Unity Octave and have prayed for Christian unity, “without ceasing,” ever since. Christians around the world celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity together, with the encouragement of the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Jesus prayed that all might be one as He and the Father are one. Jesus broke down barriers which separated people from each other. He gathered around him people from all walks of life. St Paul teaches that in Jesus there is neither male or female, master or slave, Greek or Jew. Paul became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles and he encourages us to “pray without ceasing.” This is the theme for this year’s Christian Unity Week. This is a great time to turn to God and ask for His Spirit to unite us, not only with Him but also with each other.

How can we promote Christian Unity? We can pray. Never doubt the efficacy of prayer if it is entered into with a sincere heart. Jesus told us, “Ask and it shall be given to you. Knock and the door will be open.” We can be attentive to others. We can listen to others. We can take time to learn something about another’s faith. We can take time to be with others and pray and celebrate together.

During the week of prayer for Christian Unity, attend a prayer service. Services, along with other Christian Unity resources, are listed on the Christian Unity section of the DSSM website.

To further reflect on Christian Unity Week 2008, visit http://www.weekofprayer2008.org, or order the Novalis resource ‘Pray Without Ceasing’.

Sudbury Catholic Board Launches Year Two of Dearness Conservation Program and Challenge

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board “kicked off” year two of its Dearness Conservation Program and Challenge on November 14, 2007 at a media launch held at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. The School Conservation Challenge was created by the Sudbury Catholic District School Board to increase the participation in the Dearness Conservation (DC) initiative that was introduced into all of the Board’s schools in 2001.

Since the inception of the DC program, the Board has been able to achieve substantial utility savings by educating teachers, students and staff and providing them with the necessary resources through this program. Mark Gervais, Energy Coordinator for the Sudbury Catholic Board is very proud of the cost saving measures of the DC program. “Our Board has saved $125,000 per year with the implementation of the energy conservation initiatives of the Dearness Conservation Program,” states Gervais. “This means that over the last six years the Board has realized more than three-quarters of a million dollars in cost savings.”

In 2006-2007, senior administration decided that a “Conservation Challenge” would be an excellent way to enhance the effectiveness of the program in addition to acknowledging the “Environmental Champions.” The selection of the School Conservation Champion involves a point system based on three categories;
(i) an unannounced site visit by the SCDSB’s Facility Services Department during the school year (ii) an interview with the principal from each participating school
(iii) submission of reports dealing with Lifestyle Conservation Campaigns and other relevant materials. Schools will be awarded points based on the above three categories.

The school that attains the most points will be deemed the winner of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s 2007-2008 School Conservation Challenge and will be awarded a Grand Prize of $500.00 and the right to display the “SCDSB School Conservation Challenge Champions” banner for a year.

The Dearness Conservation Program is geared toward both secondary school and elementary schools. The program consists of an in-school presentation/workshop and its mandate is to incorporate all of the Board’s students in its conservation efforts.
Eric Foster, Managing Director of the Dearness Environmental Society speaks to St. Benedict CSS students re the impact of and solutions to climate change during a slide show presentation.The DC launch consisted of two components: (1); A viewing of the widely acclaimed environmental movie trailer, An Inconvenient Truth followed by a “Changes” and “Choices” presentation by Eric Foster, Managing Director, Dearness Environmental Society. (2); Following the presentation, Suzanne Burwell, Educational Resources Manager for the Dearness Environmental Society guided students through a trade show which focussed on efficient technologies. Students learned about energy and water saving technologies, how to perform technical audits, and how to run campaigns to achieve energy, water and waste reduction.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be presenting workshops in all of its four secondary and twenty elementary schools over the next two weeks and is inviting all SCDSB Dearness Schools, Classes and Clubs to participate in the “Conservation Challenge.”
Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board supports the board’s new initiative with respect to the far reaching positive effects and implications this program will have on students and the environment. “The SCDSB School Conservation Challenge provides our students with an opportunity to integrate the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations into their lives in an authentic manner,” states McCullough. “This Conservation Challenge invites all students to become responsible citizens and stewards of creation by respecting the environment and using the earth’s resources wisely.”
For more information on the SCDSB School Conservation Challenge please contact Mark Gervais, Energy Coordinator at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

Away in a Manger

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In December the senior wing staff and students of St. James Catholic School in Lively launched a Christmas fundraising project in hopes of filling a stable with animals for a third world community in conjunction with the World Vision Organization. The stable will provide food, fuel, wood, income and fertilizer to a community in need to help break the cycle of poverty.

The goal of $1,200 was achieved within two weeks through generous family donations and with proceeds from ticket sales from a Christmas semi-formal dance.

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