Pope John Paul II Graduation

Once again the young people from our Edge program who graduated this evening from Pope John Paul II Elementary School have received a number of awards including:

• Christopher Rosati - Catholic Leadership Award, & Valedictorian Award
• Michael Karrangus - Paul Gismondi Award (for faith, compassion, and having heart - chosen by your peers)
• Lexie Hesketh-Pavilons - Language Award
• Julianna Castellan - Social Science Award
• Stephanie Chiarotto - Bill McNamara Principal's Award
• Laura Clarot - Caledon Enterprise - Face of the Future Award

Indeed a proud day for the Youth Ministry at Holy Family Parish.  Check out our dedicated website for all the youth news!


At the crack of dawn Friday morning, 28 of the youth and CORE Team from Holy Family Parish are going to Steubenville, Ohio for the Youth Conference - here is what is in store for us - keep us all in your prayers!

Peace!

Robert F Hall Graduation

Wednesday was a full day - starting in the morning with Mass with the Graduates (and some parents) of Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School.  This is the last group of students from Bolton that will be attending R.F.Hall and so Brenda Holtcamp - the chaplain - had asked me to be sure to celebrate the Mass with these grade 12's.  It was a cloudy morning - and it even threatened to rain - but it did not - and the cloud cover made for comfortable temperatures.
Wednesday evening the Graduation Ceremony was held at the Powerade Centre in Brampton. Again a number of the graduates who are connected with the parish won awards including 3 of our Holydays Counselors: 

• Cristina Diaz - Knights of Columbus (Fr. Hank van den Berg) Scholarship & Catholic Student of the Year
• Shelby Deibert - Achievement in Religious Social Justice & Robert F. Hall Student of the Year
• Kaitlyn Hauck - Achievement in Extended French

In addition another of our active teens - Gabriel Busca - won the Student Council Award!

In between these 2 events I attended the reception that Regis College had to welcome the 5th volume "Historical Books" of the Heritage Edition of the St. John's Bible. A wonderful presentation was made by Fr. Michael Kolarcik SJ, on the art in this volume of the Bible. In the Fall the College expects to have the Gospel/Acts volume and next spring the final volume: Letters/Revelation. I look forward to having these volumes come to Bolton in the near future!
Peace!

Holy Family School Graduation

Tonight we had Holy Family School Graduation, and once again it was awesome to see how many of our Edge youth received awards, including:

• Julia Frank - Catholic Leadership Award, Geography Award & Academic Excellence Award!
• Bronte Kerrigan - Valedictorian, & Literacy Award, & Academic Excellence Award!
• Ariana Busca - Science and Technology Award
• Joanna Mrowca-Migiel - History Award
• Alana Gnida - Citizenship Award
• Olivia Gordon - Female Athlete Award

And we had our Chief Squire - 
Alexander Verni - win the first ever Holy Family School Media Award! Congratulations to all of the graduates!
Peace

St. Nicholas Grad

This evening we had the graduation of St. Nicholas School Students - And I just had to boast that a number of the award winners are active Edgers - young people who come to our Edge Youth Ministry program on Friday nights - including:

• Alyson Newman - Catholic Leadership Award
• Daniela Gatti - Valedictorian
• Laura Coffa - Geography Award
• Alessia Urbani - Highest Academic Achievement Award

Each of these young ladies also graduated with distinction - an average of 80% or higher! Way to go!


Congratulations to all the graduates!
Peace

Holydays Summer Day Camp

"You see Father - its all about the temperature" 

Each day this week I have been stumbling across Erin and Stephanie doing different crafts for the Holydays Summer day camp we have at Holy Family Parish. 
This afternoon I was the "Camper" and helped form a candle by dipping the string repeatedly in the melted wax. 
Stephanie taught me the line above is very true: Its all about the temperature! If the wax is too hot - it will not form up on the string, if its too cool - then the candle will be lumpy and not really look nice.
Its incredible the amount of work that goes into preparing for the Holydays day camp! Craft supplies, craft ideas, equipment for games, Rosary kits, and juggling schedules and activity groups for 88 campers daily - all in a days work for Erin and Stephanie! We are sold out for weeks 2, 3, 4 and 5 - and have only a couple of spaces for week 1 (the 4 day week) July 3-6.


Peace

Refugee Day

WORLD REFUGEE DAY is June 20, 2012!
The United Nations World Refugee Day honours the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children forced to flee their homelands under threat of persecution, conflict and violence.
The number of forcibly displaced people around the world has reached a 15-year high, with the vast majority languishing in poor countries that are ill-equipped to cater to their needs. At the end of 2011, it was estimated that around the world there were 43.7 million refugees and people displaced within their countries by events such as war and natural disasters. More than half of the total were children. That figure does not take into account the new wave of migration and displacement set in motion by the upheaval of the Arab Spring. World Refugee Day is a Day to recognize the contributions of refugees in our communities. It provides an invitation for each of us to take action on behalf of refugees.
We trust in the Spirit to lead us forward in the goals of dignity and safety for all. We thank each of you, in your work on behalf of refugees. Let us support one another and carry on faithfully this ministry of hope entrusted to our care.
May God our Creator be praised as we recognize one another as neighbour; may Christ the Redeemer liberate and lead home all who are lost or in danger; may the Spirit of Life unite us as one planetary family filled with mutual respect and all inclusive love for each other and for our earth. Amen.
(After a week with no posts - 2 posts in 1 day!)
Peace

Wonderful Wednesday

I know that Stephanie is back in town - when I get reminders that I have not Blogged!
Last Saturday we had "Bring Dad" to LifeTeen - and even my own dad was there.  Even though he had returned home from a trip to Ireland on Tuesday - he was back in Toronto on Friday night to take my Sister to the Catholic School Board Staff Arts play - it is their little tradition to go to the 2 plays each year and the Christmas Concert each December.

So I convinced him to stay on and attend LifeTeen Saturday night. After a nice dinner and a competition to build the tallest tower with straws and a limited amount of tape, we had a teaching on St. Joseph - the earthly Father of Jesus.  We then each made prayer cards - wallet sized - that would be our own personal prayer asking for St. Joseph's intercession. The night concluded with the litany of St. Joseph, and a prayer around the Altar. St Joseph is often pictured with 2 turtle doves which indicates that he was not rich - when he took Jesus to be circumcised and Mary to be purified at the Temple he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).

Sunday - Father's Day - was also Deacon Robert's 12th Anniversary of Ordination to the Diaconate! Thankfully his wife - Gabrielle - remembered! CONGRATS DEACON ROBERT!

Monday evening I attended the Annual general Meeting for Caledon Community Services. As a board member it was impressive to see how many people come out to the meeting. The program was also excellent - with speakers who have been served by different parts of the agency (Life for Youth and Crisis Care Counselling).

The keynote speaker was Mr. Alvin Rebick of Food Share, who addressed the ways that food brings community together and how it creates multiple opportunities to help people find their way.  Yesterday evening I was at a local meeting that was hosted by the Central West LHIN (Local Health Integration Network) in order to gain community input on local issues of health care. While there was a small number of people, there was some very good conversations.

This week we begin our Graduation celebrations for our elementary schools. This year will be our last participation in the ceremonies at Robert F. Hall Secondary School. June 2013 will mark the first Graduating class for St. Michael Catholic Secondary School.

Peace

Quick Updates

Just a quick post this morning as I head off to Pope John Paul II School for the end of School Year Masses - 


The Adults returned from Franciscan University in Steubenville OH, and were charged!!! They are full of the Spirit - and have had a terrific experience of the Power of God's Word. Fr. Damian and Lydia are telling lots of great stories of their experiences.

Stephanie has arrived safely in Dublin for the Eucharistic Congress. Her picture has even been on the Archdiocese of Toronto Website / Blog on the IEC activities!

Yesterday I was involved in the annual ShareLife Corporate Golf Tournament - so the question is - was it really a day off if I was working to raise funds for ShareLife?!?
Over the 17 years - this annual Golf Tournament has raised over $900,000! 

Finally - This afternoon my Dad returns from Ireland - he was on a 20 day tour - and has had a great time - each day I get an update from him with stories and pictures of the neat places he has been.  I have not been to Ireland - and I have to admit - his email messages have piqued my interest!


Peace

Pilgrimages Abound!

Today a couple of different - yet similar pilgrimages begin: To Steubenville, Ohio, and Dublin Ireland.

32 people from Bolton left at 6:00 am this morning for Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio for a Pilgrimage / Conference where the theme is "Word Power". God spoke and the world came into being. God spoke and Lazarus rose from the dead. God spoke and the blind could see, the deaf could hear, and the lame could walk. Like the sacraments, holy signs that make possible the very things they signify—the Word of God doesn't just communicate realities. It makes realities. It creates and destroys, heals and transforms. There is power in God’s Word—power and beauty and life.
Importantly, that power doesn’t belong only to God’s Word spoken in history or proclaimed in Scripture. That power belongs to his Body. It’s made manifest when the Word of God, spoken by a priest, changes bread and wine into Body and Blood. And it’s made manifest when God’s people, the baptized, proclaim it in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our Adults on their way to this conference are being invited to encounter the Word of God as a living, healing, all-powerful creative force, when popular retreat master Damian Stayne leads Catholics from around the world on an exciting journey of discovery.
Over the course of three days, through a series of illuminating talks and practical workshops, they will learn how to unlock the power of the Word of God in their lives, and the lives of those they love. 

This evening Stephanie will be travelling to Dublin, Ireland to take part in the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. (The 49th Congress was in Quebec City in 2008!)


Peace

Terrific Tuesday - Padre Pio Relics

Second Class Relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Today the So-Just group at St. Michael Secondary School welcomed the Chaplaincy Team from St. Marcellinus Secondary School with the Relics of Padre Pio.  Now officially known as St. Pio of Pietrelcina (the name of the town in southern Italy where Pio was born) he was Beatified in 1999 and was canonized in June of 2002 by Pope John Paul II.


Fr. Tom, A Capuchin (Franciscan) friar from St. Philip Neri parish came with these relics, which included one of the gloves that Padre Pio wore on his hands during his priesthood.  Fr. Tom shared that he had met Pio when he was alive, and for 50 years - from September 1918 until his death on September 23, 1968 - Padre Pio had the stigmata - the 5 wounds of Christ. Included in the reliquary was a cloth (with a blood stain) that was used to cover his side, the often forgotten 5th wound of Christ.


Peace