IMPORTANT DATES - APRIL 2019

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1 IMPORTANT DATES - APRIL 2019 Mar 25 Apr 31 Apr 1 Apr 3 Apr 8 Apr 19 & 22 Apr Apr 30 May 1 Spring Break - No School School Resumes Reconciliation Gr. 9 Farewell Meeting (7:00 p.m. Library) Good Friday & Easter Monday - No School Grade 9 Band Trip - Calgary Grade 8 Band Camp Nakamun Fee Payment for School Year For the upcoming school year in an effort to make it most convenient for parents, fees will be paid online through PowerSchool in September. If you have not yet obtained a PowerSchool log-in for yourself, please contact Cheryl in the office at Payment can also be made in the office. Sorry, no cheques. STUDENT REGISTRATIONS Information regarding Course Options Requests along with registration information will be coming to you in mid- April. Please ensure that you and your child(ren) submit information promptly as this is our way of confirming which students are returning to Father Michael Troy for the school year. Thank you!

2 The Catholic Parish of Corpus Christi Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6T 1P5 Phone: or Website: Sacramental Preparation Please note the registration deadlines: Friday, April 12 Confirmation Friday, April 26 First Reconciliation & First Holy Eucharist These deadlines are also posted on the front page of our parish bulletin. On our Website: The schedules and forms can be found here for all sacraments: Regular Mass Times Monday - Friday 9:00 am Saturday 4:30 pm Sunday 9:30 am, 11:30 am, 5:00 pm

3 .. April 2019 Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb. (Communion Rite) In his General Audience of April 1, 2015, Pope Francis gave a beautiful explanation of the Easter Triduum, unfolding for us the significance of each of the days from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday. He shares that with the Mass of the Lord s Supper, we will begin the Easter Triduum of Christ s passion, death and resurrection, which is the culmination of the whole liturgical year and the pinnacle of our Christian life as well. It presents us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on this sacred time for Christians. Edmonton Catholic Schools has been named one of Alberta s Top 75 Employers for the fourth consecutive year! This annual competition, which is held by Postmedia Network Inc. and Mediacorp Canada Inc., takes a comprehensive, comparative look at various aspects of operations and human resources practices to determine which organizations have the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. We are proud to be one of the leaders in our field in creating exceptional conditions for our employees. Each year, the Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta sponsors the Excellence in Catholic Education Awards. These awards honor individuals who provide our students with exceptional learning experiences that are deeply rooted in our Catholic faith. We are delighted to share that 3 of our staff are receiving this prestigious award: Anna Fialka, teacher at St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School; Dean Sullivan, Principal of St. Dominic Catholic Elementary School; and Cecilia Fenrich, Manager of District Programs. Congratulations Anna, Dean, and Cecilia! In the school year, Edmonton Catholic Schools will be expanding dual credit offerings, in partnerships with additional post-secondary institutions and industry/business. We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with MacEwan University to offer students 2 courses to explore their passions and interests in Police Studies. The courses will be offered through Alternative Education PASS at St. Joseph High School to interested grade 11 and 12 students from across the District who meet the prerequisites and are part of the MacEwan Police Studies Diploma.

4 We have also signed an MOU with Concordia University of Edmonton to offer students the opportunity to develop their gifts and talents in Choral Ensemble. The courses are part of the Concordia Bachelor of Fine Arts Program and is being offered at Louis St. Laurent through Alternative Education PASS to interested students who are currently in the All City Senior High Choir. By offering these courses after school hours, it will enable students from across our District to enroll. For more information, please contact Information about all our dual credit opportunities will be shared at a Dual Credit Information night to be held on April 8 from 6:30 8:00 p.m. at St. Joseph High School Theatre, Street. Please register at or Danielle.Weran@ecsd.net. We are in the process of preparing our 2019/2020 budget. The Ministry of Education has extended the deadline for school boards to submit their budgets to June 30, 2019 in order to provide additional time to accurately prepare their submissions. Once our budget is complete, it will be presented at the June Public Meeting of the Board. I leave you with our Holy Father s closing thoughts from his General Audience: Dear brothers and sisters, during these days of the Holy Triduum let us not limit ourselves to commemorating the passion of the Lord, but let us enter into the mystery, making his feelings and thoughts our own, as the Apostle Paul invites us to do: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5). Then ours will be a Happy Easter. Have a blessed April! Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent

5 Edmonton Catholic School District Parent Newsletters April 2019 Easter, and How God Chooses the Best in Us! This month we enter into the Passion of Our Lord, his death upon the cross, and his glorious third-day resurrection. As we prepare for and celebrate Easter, I am reminded of a reflection Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak, Archeparchy of Winnipeg, offered when he was in town to bless the relocation of Holy Spirit Seminary from Ottawa to Edmonton. The story goes something like this, though I ve told it so many times now that I probably have embellished it a bit (which is my prerogative as I get older!). When Metropolitan Lawrence was the Ukrainian Catholic bishop of Edmonton (and all of Alberta, including the Holy City of Lavoy which is where I m from), one day he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy at Saint Josaphat Cathedral. A parishioner came up to him and asked him whether he knew that the artist-iconographer (Julian Buchmaniuk) who painted the icons at the Cathedral was fond of using real live people as models for the faces of Jesus, Mary, the saints, and the angels. Metropolitan Lawrence was aware of this, and he indeed could recognize the faces of several of his fellow Basilian Fathers in the faces of the male religious saints. Well, the lady parishioner (whom I know well and has confirmed this story) pointed to an angel in the dome of the Cathedral, then pointed to herself, and simply smiled. Metropolitan Lawrence understood well that she wanted him to recognize her face as the model the iconographer had used for the face of the angel. Metropolitan Lawrence looked at the lady, then at the angel. A second time, he looked at the lady, then at the angel. And a third time, he looked at the lady, then again at the angel. But no matter how hard he looked at the lady and the angel, he failed to see any resemblance whatsoever between the two! [Students, you know the feeling: it s Mother s Day and you ve forgotten to make mom a card!] [Guys, you know this feeling too: you ve forgotten your wife s birthday or your wedding anniversary, again!] Metropolitan Lawrence was stuck. However, and I believe divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, he said, Ah, I know what the iconographer did! He didn t paint your nose, nor your eyes, nor your lips. Instead, he looked at you and captured the absolute best in you! He saw your kindness and painted that. He saw your love for your family and painted that. Your compassion and love for neighbor, your humility, generosity, patience, joy, and so. And he captured it all!

6 As I reflect on my own relationship with God, I can t help but think that this is exactly how Jesus looks at us. He sees the absolute best in each and every one of us. And he draws these beautiful gifts out of us each day, along our earthly journey towards our heavenly home. Afterall, he is the Master Iconographer! Precious are we in the eyes of God, so precious that he died on the cross for our sins and for our salvation. As we celebrate Easter, let us take a moment to reflect on Jesus passion and death upon the cross the great sacrifice he makes for you and me, and recall his glorious resurrection and the gift of the newness of life that he offers us. Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Bishop David