From the Catholic Register: Students embrace generosity of the season
From the Catholic Register – “A spirit of altruism is shining brightly in Catholic schools on the Prairies this Christmas.
Charitable drives and community outreach dinners represents just a couple examples of Christmastime generosity emanating out of learning institutes in Alberta and Manitoba.”
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“To the east, an impressive act carried out by Grade 7 and 8 students at St. Alphonsus School in Winnipeg is the cooking club preparing and delivering a meal to the Holy Names House of Peace intercultural refuge for newcomer women on Dec. 16. Students cooked turkey, stuffing, vegetables and other staples of a traditional Christmas dinner.
Christine McInnes, the principal of St. Alphonsus, praised this initiative, in its sophomore year, as “a beautiful idea.”
“It’s very good for our kids (who), generally speaking, have lots of home support and lots of good things in life to think outside of their own experience and have an opportunity to reach out to others,” said McInnes.
McInnes appreciates the privilege to work in an educational system where the true essence of Christmas takes centrestage.
“I think we’re lucky because we are a Catholic school that we have the opportunity actually to talk about the real reason for the season,” said McInnes. “That’s a real blessing that we have here. Families come here because they know it’s a school where faith is important. They are very supportive of any endeavours that bring that truth to the forefront.”
The spirit of the season also thrived at St. Paul’s High School, an all-boys’ academy in the Jesuit tradition, also in Winnipeg. Propelling the Christmas appeal were Kevin Booth, the president of the school, and Grade 12 students Mark Nashed, the student council president, and Eric Wardrop, the president of the school’s Maroon and White Society.
St. Paul’s students were invited to dress casually on Dec. 6 and 12 for a $2 charge. Students and their parents were also welcomed to make direct donations to the Christmas hamper program, which would support the less fortunate members of the school community. The baskets were distributed on Dec. 19.
Wardrop told The Catholic Register that the hamper drive “allows everybody to step up, take action and give to the community so that everybody may really enjoy this season.”
Nashed added that “it is an absolute blessing to be in a position where not only I can give, but I can facilitate giving from others.””