Sudbury Catholic District School Board Welcomes Bishop Dowd for Ash Wednesday Service

Posted on February 25, 2023March 1, 2023 by Carlee Vendramin

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board began our Lenten Journey! We celebrated this occasion through prayer services led by our incredible parish partners. This year we also had the privilege of welcoming Bishop Thomas Dowd to our celebrations!

One of the highlights was a prayer service at Marymount Academy, where our Catholic Education Centre staff joined students to pray alongside Father Raymond, Deacon Roland, and Bishop Thomas Dowd. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Church of Christ the King, school organizers, families, and student volunteers who helped arrange this fantastic event and make it a success. We also thank all our Parishes for helping welcome lent together with our schools. It is a pleasure to have you celebrate with us in person once again!

Ash Wednesday 2023: The Start of the Lenten Season

Posted on February 21, 2023February 21, 2023 by Erin Kendall

Ash Wednesday is an important day for the Catholic community, and we are honoured to commemorate it annually at Sudbury Catholic Schools. This year, on February 22, 2023, our students, faculty, staff, and parish partners will come together for Mass to receive ashes on their foreheads, symbolizing the beginning of the Lenten season.

As we embark on this journey together, we encourage our community to concentrate on meaningful themes, such as the gift of life and showing kindness, generosity, and compassion towards others.

During Lent, we place a special focus on “almsgiving,” where we donate money or goods to those in need and perform other acts of charity. Though these acts of service are conducted year-round, we encourage everyone in our community to reflect deeply on how they can show more compassion and generosity towards others during the Lenten season leading up to Easter.

As a Catholic school board, we believe that faith is a fundamental aspect of our lives, and we are committed to nurturing the spiritual growth of our students. We strive to instil a deep respect for Christ’s teachings and inspire them to live according to his values. On this Ash Wednesday, let us renew our faith and commitment to God and unite in love, compassion, and kindness as a community.

Sudbury Catholic Schools Gather Together For A Virtual Ash Wednesday Service

Posted on March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 by Carlee Vendramin

Our Lenten journey began on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, with Ash Wednesday! Sudbury Catholic District School Board honoured the start of this season with a morning prayer service. Our church tradition shares that on Ash Wednesday, we are invited to be marked with the sign of the cross on our foreheads. This symbolizes our understanding that we make mistakes and that we will take this time of Lent to grow in holiness, so we are prepared to celebrate Easter with great joy. Bishop Thomas Dowd also joined us and reinforced this message, reminding us that Lent is a time to make our hearts a worthy place for the Holy Spirit to live.

The day was also one where we joined in prayer for the situation in Ukraine. Pope Francis sent out an invitation for the world to join together for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace. He asked that we especially pray for those suffering, be aware that we are all brothers and sisters, and implore God for an end to the war.

For those members of our community who were unable to attend our service yesterday, you can still participate by watching a virtual recording of our Ash Wednesday service. We’ll also continue joining together for prayer on Monday mornings. We invite you to view the following poster to see a schedule of our future virtual prayer services taking place throughout Lent.