The Patriot Report – March 31, 2023

“I command you: be firm and steadfast! Do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

These words, at the start of the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament, are spoken by God to Joshua before he is to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua, successor to Moses, is charged with a daunting task: conquer the lands set before you; the lands promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants. The words of encouragement by God to Joshua are just as relevant today for us as they were when first spoken. 

As the people of Israel journey into the Promised Land, they struggle with remaining true to the covenant. As we journey through Lent, we struggle with remaining true to our spiritual promise of our baptism. We are reminded that to stay true to our baptismal vow requires courage and to know what the Lord expects of us. We need to stand firm in what is right and what is good. 

As Joshua led the people of Israel into conquest of Jericho and the surrounding territories he relied on the strength of God. As Jesus led humanity through conquest over death and sin on the cross, he too relied on the strength of God.

If we are to conquer the challenges and temptations we face, we too must rely on the strength of God. 

This Sunday is Palm Sunday and it marks Holy Week for Catholics. This is the highpoint of our Liturgical Season. On Tuesday, Catholic students in Gr. 2 to 7 will have the opportunity to have Confession. On Wednesday, we will have our School Mass. On Holy Thursday, we will have our in school spiritual retreat and prayer services with the students. That evening is the Mass of the Last Supper, marking the beginning of the Easter Triduum – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday.

This is why we have a half day on Holy Thursday. It marks that this day is different and it signifies to our Catholic community that this is the most important weekend in the life of the Church. 

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

Chess Club has had a successful launch! We have over 80 students signed up for the club with just over half the students playing in the friendly division and the others in the competitive division. It is so great to see many of students engaged in this classic game. 

I do encourage students to use online learning tools to help them better their game. However, parents do need to supervise children as sites like chess.com do have chat features. Some sites also have fees associated with them. Some of our other CISVA schools also have Chess Clubs so we may look to do some mini games or tournaments with other schools once we are more established. 

Thank you again to the PSG for their financial support of the Chess Club. 

At the start of the school year the Provincial government announced that there would special grant given to schools under the Student and Family Affordability Fund (SFAF). In total, 60 million went to the public sector and $3.8 million came to the Federation of Independent School Associations (FISA) to support families struggling with increasing costs and that access education through independent school authorities. CISVA, our school authority, received funds and distributed them to the schools. 

Our school is now in the position to be able to distribute these funds. There are restrictions however to what the funds can be spent on and the most notable restriction is that it cannot be used as tuition credit. 

We understand that the rise of inflation has impacted all families. However, we also know that most of our families are financially secure and are able to weather such times. However, we do have families that are making tremendous sacrifices to be able to send their children to a Catholic school and we are able to use the SFAF to offer some support.

If your family is need of assistance please contact the school principal at cvanderpauw@stjude.ca by March 31, 2023. Please be assured that confidentiality will be maintained.   

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.