The Patriot Report – September 27, 2019

In this Sunday’s second reading (1 Timothy 6.11-16) we are encouraged to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. The encouragement from St. Paul is a good road map for us to follow today. I like the fact that St. Paul, in this section of his letter to Timothy, recognizes that the pursuit of a virtuous life will require endurance. The word endurance is defined as “the power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.” To live the life of faith is not easy, it is difficult. Throughout the Gospels we are reminded of the difficult path that we must follow to live a life of faith. No where is this more evident than in the path of the crucifixion. How does one endure in the face of such suffering and pain? How do we endure when hope seems lost? How do we endure when tragedy hits us hard? I believe the answer comes later in the same letter from St. Paul to Timothy. As he draws near the conclusion of his letter, St. Paul says to “rely on God” who “richly provides” to those who have faith. It is our faith in eternal life and practice of loving others as Christ commanded us that allows us to endure and not give way. 

Any volunteer or chaperone working with our students must have a criminal record check completed first. Only those with valid criminal record checks will be permitted to supervise or volunteer on school sponsored activities. Each individual must complete one. If a grandparent is going to volunteer on a field trip, for hot lunch supervision, etc., he or she must also have a criminal record check on file with the school.  You can complete the CRC online or fill out this form.  Please bring the completed form, along with your picture ID to the school office for verification.   

Online Link: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/eCRC/home.htm
Access Code: KVLB9GCYEW

A reminder that we need to have the most accurate medical information about your child on file. If your child has life threatening allergies, we need to have the forms completed by your family doctor and we need to have the appropriate medication on site. 

Teachers have been advised by Catholic Mutual (our insurance provider) that it is not good practice to drive students. We therefore need parents to coordinate rides among one another so that children are able to get to and from sports venues. It is the parent’s responsibility to find rides for your children. Please help each other out so that our staff is not faced with having to tell your child that they cannot attend the game due to a lack of rides. 

Category placements are complete. If you are participating and have not been contacted, please contact Ann Tang, the Participation coordinator at eparticipation@stjude.ca or at 604-803-3823. Please remember to use the online reporting form to record your hours as this is the only way you will receive credit for hours worked. You can go to the St. Jude website at www.stjude.ca, click on the Parents tab and then click on Parent Participation Online Reporting. 
 
We are looking to fill the following Supervision positions. Please contact Ann Tang if you are available to help with any of the shifts below.
 
Monday to Friday after school from 2:45 – 3:25 pm
Monday, Wednesday, Friday morning from 8:10 – 8:50 am

Teachers have been advised by Catholic Mutual (our insurance provider) that it is not good practice to drive students. We therefore need parents to coordinate rides among one another so that children are able to get to and from sports venues. It is the parent’s responsibility to find rides for your children. Please help each other out so that our staff is not faced with having to tell your child that they cannot attend the game due to a lack of rides. 

St. Jude Parish will be celebrating their 75th Anniversary. For this important occasion, they will be have a Mass on October 28th at 4pm. Their will be a formal reception at 6pm hosted at the Hilton Metrotown. Tickets are $125. The parish is looking for door prizes, sponsorship, and donations. Please contact Richelle Akol or the Parish Office if you have questions or are able to assist in any way. Tickets can be purchased through Richelle Akol. 

RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), runs Thursdays starting at 7:00pm and finishes at 8:30pm. RCIA is led by Fr. Jun and the St. Jude Parish RCIA Team. The program is free and it is open to all including Catholics and non-Catholics who are interested in learning more about the faith. Please contact the Parish office for more information.

The Grade 3 class is thoroughly enjoying the presence of a large fish tank brought in at the start of the school year by their classroom teacher, Mr. Fitz. This past Monday, new fish were introduced and I had the pleasure of being in the room when students were rotating through a work station where they had to make various observations on the species in the tank. As they were observing and making notes, I was able to chat with some of the students and their feedback and enthusiasm certainly points to the positive benefits of having hands on learning experiences. 

Our PEC for 2019-2020 is:
Richelle Akol – Chairperson – echairperson@stjude.ca
Anita Hua – Vice Chair – evicechair@stjude.ca
Leah Wong – Treasurer – etreasurer@stjude.ca
Ann Tang – Parent Participation – eparticipation@stjude.ca
Desiree Suganob – Maintenance – emaintenance@stjude.ca
Maria Paredes – Secretary – esecretary@stjude.ca 
Fr. Jun Reyes – Pastor of St. Jude Parish