2016 Christmas Message

"Hearlding Our Messiah" by Hayley Barrett '17
Dear Friends,

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, and, as members of a community that gives generously and receives gratefully, this time of year allows us to reflect on this kindness.
 
This year Hayley Barrett '17 drew "Heralding Our Messiah," for our 2016 Christmas card.  In this beautiful depiction of the heralding of God's generosity in becoming human like us, we are reminded of the incredible transformative power of God, at work in our daily lives.  These transformative powers are also alive in the work our teachers and staff do each day in helping to form our students into "Men and Women for and with Others."  At St. Bon's we care for each other and we strive to seek the magis, the greater, always in the context of what is for the greater glory of God. 
 
It has always been a calling of Jesuit institutions around the world, to serve the disadvantaged and marginalized.  You inspire me everyday as a wonderful community dedicated to this effort. In the article which follows you will see concrete examples of our students answer this call to serve others.
 
During this holiday season, I hope that you will take time to celebrate the accomplishments, traditions and commitments we share.  Thank you for your prayers and your financial support. 
 
May these holy days, and every day, be filled with peace and joy for you and your loved ones.
 
God Bless,

 
Tom McGrath
President
Men and Women for Others during Advent 
During this Advent season, our students came together to support two different charities in our community, Canadian Jesuits International's (CJI) "Go For Dollo" Campaign & The Gathering Place. We are all aware of the great work being done at The Gathering Place, and why it is so important to support. The "Go For Dollo" campaign supports the Jesuit Refugee Service and their skills training centre for women in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia. These projects expose our students not only to the needs of others in their local community, but also the global community.
 
During our 160th Anniversary celebrations, our family groups created Christmas wreaths and snowman to be auction off at our annual Breakfast with Santa. The money raised from the auction allowed us to present cheques of $350 each to both "Go For Dollo" and the Gathering Place. In addition a donation was made to our school's mission fund which provides assistance to families in our own community.
 
In addition to the auction, the student council and social justice committee held a Coffee House in October to support the "Go For Dollo" campaign. In November, during their trip to the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, representatives presented a cheque for $1,000 to Uju from CJI. As well, the Grade 5 classes held their annual Social Justice Movie Day for Holland Hall in support of the "Go For Dollo" campaign. The day included a Jeans Day, a movie in the afternoon & a popcorn sale. Thanks to their generosity, the students in Holland Hall raised $1,078.25.
 
Finally a number of classes supported The Gathering Place by creating care packages, hampers & making lunch for the clients.
 
We are so proud of our students for their generosity this Christmas, and for living our motto "Men and Women for & with Others"

Holland Hall Choirs Bring Joy to Others
An annual tradition for the students in Holland Hall is to visit various groups through out the city to perform Christmas Carols.

Some of the groups our students performed for include:
  • St. Clare's Hospital
  • Veteran's Pavilion
  • St. Patrick's Mercy Home
  • Delta Hotel
  • St. John's Airport
  • Festival of Music & Lights
  • Torbay Christmas Tree Lighting
Being men and women for and with others, extends beyond just financial support. Our students were able to spread Christmas joy through out our community with their splendid performances. 
2016-17 Annual Giving Campaign
Thanks to many generous donors, to date we have raised $16,000 for our Annual Giving Campaign. Can you help us reach our goal of $25,000?

If you are able to donate to St. Bonaventure's College this Christmas season, you can do so online here, or you can fill out our Annual Giving Campaign form, which can be downloaded  here, & mail it to:

St. Bonaventure's College 
2A Bonaventure Ave 
St. John's, NL A1C 6B3

All donations received by December 31st will receive a charitable tax receipt for the current year.

To learn more about the Annual Giving Campaign, and why you should give, please click here
Christmas Coffee House Cabaret


The St. Bonaventure's College Music Program will be hosting a Christmas Coffee House Cabaret on Thursday, December 29th from 7:00pm-9:00pm at the school. This will be in support of their spring music tour to Italy. Their highlight tour performance will take place at the Vatican, in the presence of Pope Francis. Please come out and enjoy an amazing lineup of performances by our music alumni, current students and alumni Dixieland Combo.  ($10.00 suggested donation at the door)
Eco-Literacy at St. Bon's

This past fall, teachers and administration made a commitment to enhance and extend eco-literacy at St. Bonaventure's College. To help make this possible, we have partnered with For A New Earth, a group that develops and promotes eco-literacy programs in schools. Our teachers are working with this group to incorporate the language of the Laudato Si' and "integral ecology into our curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12. At the end of the year the students will participate in a event with the theme "Caring for Our Common Home" to help spread Pope Francis' message to the wider community.

As part of our partnership with For A New Earth,  we hosted a town hall, "What Is A Green Economy?"  featuring guest speakers, including students Ben Dornan '17 & Grace Moffat '17. You can view a video of the highlights of the event here.

Chair of our Eco-Literacy Committee, Ms. Carolyn Windsor, has also written a piece on the eco-literacy program being implemented at St. Bonaventure's College. You can read about the program here.