The Patriot Report – November 3, 2023

“The memory of the Saints leads us to raise our eyes to Heaven: not to forget the realities of the earth, but to face them with greater courage, with more hope.”

-Pope Francis 

November’s virtue of the month is Humility. Which is very apt given that November is the month in which we remember those holy men and women who have gone before us to Heaven as saints. The saints are perfect examples of humility, or the perfect degree of humbleness and lack of excessive pride. These saints did not elevate themselves above others, but reflected back all their good gifts and talents to God. We are all asked to practice this virtue of humility as we are all called to be saints.

Though it might seem daunting to aspire to sainthood, remember the humility with which saints live their lives. Sainthood is not always found in big, grandiose actions, it can be found in little tasks of the day-to-day lives that we all lead. As the above quote from Pope Francis reminds us, saints do not give into the despair of their circumstances in life, they face their challenges with courage and strength. We all have our daily hurdles we need to overcome, saints remind us that the finish line is eternal life and they encourage us to face those challenges with courage and hope in God. 

This November let us pray for those in our families who have gone before us and ask for strength and courage from those saints already in Heaven to fight the good fight here on earth. 

Please note that the Christmas Concert will take place on Thursday, December 14, 2023. More details to come at the end of November. 

On Tuesday our students had a great time celebrating Halloween or All Saints Day Eve. Students carved pumpkins and dressed up to mark this exciting occasion. The staff dressed as animals on Noah’s Ark with our very own Mr. V as the man with the long beard himself, Noah. It was a very festive way to lead into the Feast of All Saints on Wednesday. 

The Grade 5 class will lead us in an assembly for Remembrance Day on Friday, November 10 at 11:20am. This assembly will take place in our gym and, as always, parents are welcome to attend. 

Here at St. Jude student safety is our priority. Please remember to follow the signs in the parking lot during drop off in the morning and to always drive slowly and carefully on the property. Please do not drop off on 15th as there is no parking along the North side of the street and you may block local drivers.  Park your car in the school parking lot or across the street and walk your child to the front entrance of the school to ensure everyone arrives safely to school. There is no parking in the walkway in front of the office due to the number of children and parents entering the school in the morning.  Thank you! 

We are excited to welcome kindergarten sibling registration for children born in 2019, turning 5 in 2024. These children will begin kindergarten in September 2024.  Please pre-register by completing this form.  

Reminder to submit absentee notes for when your child is sick or away from school. This can be done online through our school website: https://stjude.ca/absentee-note/

St. Jude Parish Mass Times

Monday – Saturday: 9 am morning Masses
Novena Mass on Wednesdays: 7:30 pm.
Saturday anticipated Mass: 5 pm
Sunday Mass: 9 am, 11 am, 5 pm