The Patriot Report – April 6, 2023

“Mount Calvary is the academy of love.” – St. Francis de Sales

Mount Calvary is where the story of Jesus’s passion and death unfold. We would do well to study and reflect on the Passion of Jesus Christ as the many different characters in this story teach us about ourselves. 

When we find ourselves being selfish and loyal to our own cause, ignoring the will of God, we are like Judas who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. In such times, we need to acknowledge our weakness and pray for mercy and forgiveness. 

When we find ourselves afraid of troubled times and uncertainty, we are like many of the Apostles who hid in the upper room afraid that they too would be persecuted. In such times, we need to pray for courage. 

When we find ourselves judgmental and critical of others, we are like the Pharisees and the High Priests that sought to crucify Jesus due to his claims and teachings. In such times, we need to pray for humility to recognize that only God is worthy to judge. 

When we find ourselves watching innocent people being attacked verbally or physically, we are like the many bystanders who came to see Jesus be crucified. In such times, we need to pray for the resolve to come to the aid of the defenseless. 

When we find ourselves accompanying a loved one through suffering, we are like the Simon the Cyrene who carried the cross of Jesus. In such times, we need to pray for the strength to be there for those who’s suffering is greater than ours. 

When we find ourselves having to bury a loved one, we are like the Mother of Jesus and the disciple at the foot of the cross who were there to the end. In such times, we need to pray for our loved ones and to ask God to comfort us in our grief and sorrow. 

Lastly, when we ourselves are suffering, we are like Jesus who suffered on the Cross. In such times, we need to emulate Jesus and pray for those who are the cause of our suffering. We need to pray for the ability to endure our suffering. And lastly, we need to pray for the understanding that suffering brings us closer to God. 

On behalf of St. Jude School, I wish each of you a very blessed Easter.  

HOLY WEEK & EASTER SCHEDULE – St. Jude Parish

Holy Thursday – Mass at 7 pm

Good Friday – Stations of the Cross at 10 am

Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at 3 pm

Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil at 9 pm

Easter Sunday – Masses at 9 and 11 am & 5 pm

Students in our Drama Club prepared a Shadow Passion Play for students to help tell the story of the Passion of the Lord. Thank you to Ms. Smillie for working with the students to help us better appreciate the important Gospel story of Jesus’ suffering and death. 

Cambridge Uniforms is recommending that parents place uniform orders for September 2023 before the summer months as supply issues can cause delays. Please read the letter from Cambridge Uniforms by clicking the link: Letter to Families

Follow this link to complete your hot lunch orders in support of Gr. 7 fundraising. 

http://bit.ly/3YGZhFu

Our Gr. 7 Student Ambassadors will be available to provide tours of our school to prospective families. If you know of someone who might be interested in attending St. Jude School, I encourage you to tell them to sign up for a tour. Any interested family can email registrar@stjude.ca to schedule a tour. 

This past year we handed out $1200 in rewards to parents that referred students to our school. Every student that is referred and enrolls in our school for the year results in a reward of $200 for the the referring family. 

To learn more about the referral program, please click here.