At the invitation of the school chaplain, I arrived at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School this morning, to celebrate Mass with the students. Since September of this year, St. Benedict's has increased its student count, with the addition of Grade 7 and 8 students (in addition to Grade 9, 10, 11 and 12 students who have called this place home for the past number of years).
Today turned out to be not only a day for the celebration (a few weeks after the fact) of a Thanksgiving Mass, but also a day of action (of sorts). One of the students named Liam has been battlinig cancer, and is currently in Toronto's Sick Children's Hospital awaiting treatment, so today the staff at SBCSS accorded a dress-down day and students agreed to pay a small fee to help Liam's family with the expenses of accommodations and travel.
Classes for the first period of the day began as normal. Students had agreed to wear orange clothing as a sign of their support for Liam and his family. This was also in keeping with the traditional colour associated with Thanksgiving and the Fall harvest festival that we know so well in these parts.
Preparations of the worship space having been completed, students were invited to make their way to the gymnasium around 9:30am in anticipation of the liturgy beginning around 9:45am. It's amazing how so many students can move so relatively efficiently, but then again they are used to the protocols of student life.
Before long, the rows of chairs were all filled and students waited patiently for the opening remarks and introductions to be made.
While they waited, some instrumental music was played, providing a soothing environment. They say that music calms the savage beast. Perhaps there is truly wisdom in these words, or perhaps the students at St. Ben's are just well-behaved, respectful and used to the assemblies and other gatherings that take place in the course of a normal day.
Even the priest found his place and waited patiently for the introductions and instructions to be explained before the liturgy could begin.
Many students took part in various parts of the liturgy, including the proclamation of the scripture readings, and the prayers of the faithful.
One of the communication classes also presented a series of gifts which were displayed in front of the altar before the bread and wine, which would be transformed and later distributed, were also brought forward in offering.
During this gathering, one of the staff members who knows Liam and his family very well came forward to speak with the students. She thanked them for the support offered for one of their own. She commended them for their sense of community and for the act of generosity toward his family in their time of need.
Opportunities such as these, to put our faith into action, are precious. Thankfully, for most of us, life is filled with relatively simple choices, but when some more difficult or life-threatening realities cloud the horizon, it's always comforting to know that there are others who care, and who are willing to make a difference.
How fitting that a day set aside for this community to come to the assistance of one of its own should be combined with the celebration of the Eucharist. Prayer for Liam was therefore combined with the concrete gesture of helping his family (in some small way) to face the challenges associated with suporting him in his time of illness. What lessons this also teaches to the students who are partaking in this gesture of solidarity.
I'm glad ... I'm honored to have been included in some small way.
Today turned out to be not only a day for the celebration (a few weeks after the fact) of a Thanksgiving Mass, but also a day of action (of sorts). One of the students named Liam has been battlinig cancer, and is currently in Toronto's Sick Children's Hospital awaiting treatment, so today the staff at SBCSS accorded a dress-down day and students agreed to pay a small fee to help Liam's family with the expenses of accommodations and travel.
Classes for the first period of the day began as normal. Students had agreed to wear orange clothing as a sign of their support for Liam and his family. This was also in keeping with the traditional colour associated with Thanksgiving and the Fall harvest festival that we know so well in these parts.
Preparations of the worship space having been completed, students were invited to make their way to the gymnasium around 9:30am in anticipation of the liturgy beginning around 9:45am. It's amazing how so many students can move so relatively efficiently, but then again they are used to the protocols of student life.
Before long, the rows of chairs were all filled and students waited patiently for the opening remarks and introductions to be made.
While they waited, some instrumental music was played, providing a soothing environment. They say that music calms the savage beast. Perhaps there is truly wisdom in these words, or perhaps the students at St. Ben's are just well-behaved, respectful and used to the assemblies and other gatherings that take place in the course of a normal day.
Even the priest found his place and waited patiently for the introductions and instructions to be explained before the liturgy could begin.
Many students took part in various parts of the liturgy, including the proclamation of the scripture readings, and the prayers of the faithful.
One of the communication classes also presented a series of gifts which were displayed in front of the altar before the bread and wine, which would be transformed and later distributed, were also brought forward in offering.
During this gathering, one of the staff members who knows Liam and his family very well came forward to speak with the students. She thanked them for the support offered for one of their own. She commended them for their sense of community and for the act of generosity toward his family in their time of need.
Opportunities such as these, to put our faith into action, are precious. Thankfully, for most of us, life is filled with relatively simple choices, but when some more difficult or life-threatening realities cloud the horizon, it's always comforting to know that there are others who care, and who are willing to make a difference.
How fitting that a day set aside for this community to come to the assistance of one of its own should be combined with the celebration of the Eucharist. Prayer for Liam was therefore combined with the concrete gesture of helping his family (in some small way) to face the challenges associated with suporting him in his time of illness. What lessons this also teaches to the students who are partaking in this gesture of solidarity.
I'm glad ... I'm honored to have been included in some small way.
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