Advent in our Ottawa Catholic Schools

Visible Signs of Advent 

Catholic Education Centre Chapel - Advent wreath and empty manger

In many classrooms, teachers and students have co-created Advent-theme prayer tables as visible signs of their faith and expressions of the joyful hope in which they wait for the coming of Jesus at Christmas.  At St. Francis Xavier High School, grade 10 art students have designed striking Advent and Christmas murals that are on display in the school's atrium.

Advent Masses

On Tuesday, December 3, the feast day of its patron saint, Saint Francis Xavier High School celebrated the beginning of the holy season of Advent with mass for all students and staff.  Father Titus Egbueh of St. Leonard’s Parish presided.  During his homily, he spoke clearly of the need to be awake and ready for the coming of the Lord. “The time is now!” he emphasized.  

Fr. Titus celebrates mass at St. Francis Xavier

Masses were also celebrated during the Advent season in many elementary schools, including St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Monsignor Paul Baxter, St. Andrew, and St. Jerome.  Father Frank Brewer, Pastor of St. Andrew Parish, presided at the Advent mass held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Works of Charity

As students and staff prepare for Christmas, they are participating in charitable initiatives, honouring the Ottawa Catholic School Board's pastoral theme for this year - "By Our Works, We Show Our Faith". 

St. Emily Christmas Hampers

At St. Jerome, an angel tree was set up in the school's foyer. It was filled with angel tags, each with a Christmas present request – boy or girl and the age of the child. Families in the St. Jerome community were invited to drop in to choose a tag or send a note permitting their child to take a tag. The presents that were donated were then given to families in St. Jerome's sister school, Dr. F.J.McDonald, as well as to some families in its own community.

St. Jerome Angel Tree

The Angel Tree Project at St. Joseph involved students raising $2500 through a bottle drive and homerooms choosing a family from the Assumption school community to provide for. The students then delivered gifts to Assumption school secretly, as the parents came in the evening to get the gifts to hand out to their children. The St. Joseph students also read Christmas stories to the Assumption students and handed out cookies and candy canes.

Our newest school, St. Cecilia, also prepared Christmas hampers.  These hampers will support its sister schools,  St. Bernard and St. Elizabeth.  Food for the hampers was donated by the students, and all gifts for the children in each family were donated by the teachers.  In total, the St. Cecilia Community supported 24 families (61 children). Each family also received a $55.00 food card.  Students brought in money for "hat day" to buy these cards, and the St. Cecilia School Council kindly donated $500.00 to help pay for the "food cards" 

St. Cecilia Christmas Hampers

The students and staff at Monsignor Paul Baxter School purchased toys for children at their sister school, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

Toys collected at Monsignor Paul Baxter

At St. Nicholas Adult High School, each staff member was provided with a $25.00 Loblaws gift certificate to share with one of their students as a gesture of appreciation to them for continuing their journey here at St. Nicholas Adult High School. 

Honouring St. Nicholas

At St. Jerome School, during the month of December, the study of saints focused on St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop who lived during the fourth century. He was known for his generous spirit and secret gift giving. Children and adults would leave out their shoes for St. Nicholas to fill with gold coins. The source of his sainthood is the many miracles that have been attributed to his intercession. Because of these, he is often referred to as St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.  At an assembly on Monday, December 16, students who, like St. Nicholas, demonstrate a generosity of spirit were recognized.