Introduction & Opening PrayerOn Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Jesus died, Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. All people glorified him and cheered for their Messiah, shouting, "Hosanna in the highest!". Today is Holy Thursday when Jesus offered the first mass ever. After washing the feet of his apostles, Jesus took bread and wine and changed them into his body and blood, giving them to his apostles to eat and drink. This also happens at every mass when the priest says Jesus' words at the consecration. We do not see the bread and wine change, but they are still really Jesus offering himself to God for us. Tomorrow will be Good Friday when Jesus died on the cross. Many people turned against Jesus and after an unfair trial, Jesus suffered the most painful death to prove his great love for us. By rising from the dead on Easter Sunday, Jesus showed us how his life and love are stronger than anything in the world, even death on a cross. For over two thousand years, people have journeyed to the Holy Land to see where Jesus lived, died, and rose again. The journey is called a pilgrimage, and every place the pilgrims visit is called a station. Many people could not make a pilgrimage. The Holy Land was too far away, or countries were at war. So the Stations of the Cross were created. This way, people who were not able to reach the Holy Land could still make the journey in their hearts. The Stations tell us, in pictures, about the death of Jesus. At each Station, we say a short prayer and study the picture. We think about the love Jesus has for us and how we may show that love to others. Now let us begin our own pilgrimage with the Stations of the Cross. Before we begin, let us pray: God our Father, you sent us Jesus because you love us. Jesus showed us how to live as your children, to love each other as he loved us. We ask you to help us pray as we remember how he gave up his life for us on the cross. We make this prayer to you through Christ our Lord. Amen. The text for this Stations of the Cross is adapted from The Stations of the Cross for Children. The following images of the Stations of the Cross are life-size statues found at the National Shrine for Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Students created a "tableau" or a living statue which represented the modern-day reflection for each station. The First Station: Jesus Is Condemned to Die
The Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross
The Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time
The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother
The Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time
The Eighth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
The Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time
The Tenth Station: Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
The Eleventh Station: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross
The Thirteenth Station: Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross
The Fourteenth Station: Jesus Is Placed in the Tomb
Jesus, who suffered wounds for us, have mercy on us.
Field Trip to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (a.k.a. "Queen's Park") and Toronto City Hall4/4/2019
We visited the Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("Queen's Park") today to participate in the Question Period program. We had the opportunity to observe an Ontario provincial parliamentary session during Question Period and participated in an interactive discussion afterward. After our visit to Queen's Park, we walked along University Avenue (with a small detour to Osgoode Hall) to Toronto City Hall to learn more about Toronto’s municipal government structure, the City budget, key services provided by the City, and how people can get involved in the decision-making process. Question Period at the Legislative Assembly of OntarioLook for us in the Gallery from 6:46 - 7:13! We thank Charlotte and Cheyenne from HSBC Bank Canada who facilitated the “More Than Money” program, sponsored by Junior Achievement Canada. JA Canada is the largest youth business education organization in Canada and its mission is to inspire students and prepare them to succeed in a global economy. Students learned how to manage money in order to make smart financial choices. Studies have shown that the earlier students learn how to manage money, the greater their chances of lifelong financial success!
We walked to St. Patrick to view their professionally staged and well-acted production of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure story, "Treasure Island", starring Jayden and Gadion (former Holy Cross students)! Afterwards, we had a taste of the high school life...
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