The town of Barry’s Bay buzzed with a little more excitement than usual this past weekend, as yet another year of Academy studies drew to a close and the students headed home for the summer. On Saturday afternoon, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom held its Thirteenth Annual Graduation Mass and Commencement ceremony in St. Hedwig’s church, with a total of forty-eight graduates receiving their first-, second-, and third-year certificates.

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom was honoured to have His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of the Toronto Archdiocese, preside at the Mass, and also give an address during the commencement ceremony that immediately followed. During his homily, he commented on the first reading (from Acts 13:44-52), which spoke of Paul and Barnabas as they carried out the apostolate of the early Church “filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” The Cardinal focused on this profound joy that every Christian should have; not a frivolous joy, but one that comes from a deep-seated faith – such as many OLSWA students have received and have learned to cherish during their time at OLSWA.

After Mass, during the commencement ceremony, Cardinal Collins addressed the congregation once more. Speaking particularly to the graduates—but really to all those present—he drew on a quotation from G. K. Chesterton, who described life in terms of a battle, a journey, and an enigma. The Cardinal then aptly added a fourth image: life as an experience of exile. 

He counselled the graduates to be always conscious that “Life is a battle” against the devil, and although we needn’t fear because “The strife is o’er, the victory won,” we do still need to “face the struggles within our own hearts.”

He reminded them that “Life is a journey...We’re not there yet, but we know where we’re going and we’re on the way.” Here, drawing on Dante’s Divine Comedy, where there is “no music in hell” and hearkening back to his homily, he exhorted graduates, in the words of St. Augustine, to always, “Sing, and keep on moving.”

Next he explained that “Life is a mystery: The only gods we understand [in human terms] are the gods we make.” Using the lessons of St. Augustine and the symbol of the seashell, the Cardinal reminded us that although we will never be able to fully contain the mysteries of God in our minds, our reason is a gift of God to be used, and we are encouraged to keep on trying.

Finally, he advised the graduates that “Life is an experience of exile” – since our citizenship is not here, but in Heaven. Speaking in particular to the hearts of the students who will be moving on to other institutions and activities in the fall, he counseled, “Don’t nestle here. Love this place; love the world. But remember we don’t derive our values from here. We derive our values from the goal. We are temporarily passing through this world, but we are homeward bound.” 

Following Cardinal Collins’ address, OLSWA president Dr. Cassidy presented his Eminence with the Catholic Culture Award for his powerful and ongoing witness to the faith.

Other speakers during the ceremony included Mariana Mazzarolo of Peterborough, recipient of the Bl. John Paul II Award (awarded to the student receiving the highest CGPA among the third-year graduates), and third-year class valedictorian, Lucy Landry of Cobble Hill, BC. Each sincerely thanked OLSWA professors, staff and students, chaplains and local clergy, and parents for the gift they have received of studying at OLSWA. As Lucy aptly put it, “The time we have spent here has been an amazing experience that will shape the rest of our lives.” [Her valedictory address can be viewed here.]

Twelve scholarships and bursaries were awarded to deserving students, including two new bursaries: the Venerable Fulton Sheen Bursaries and the Rupert and Timothy Smith Charitable Foundation Bursaries. Mr. Allan J. and Isabel Smith, the benefactors of the Venerable Fulton Sheen Bursaries, presented the bursaries to first-year graduates Joel Patrick and Lindsay Richey, who were chosen because they “exemplify a spirit of evangelization and a willingness to engage with modern culture in bringing others to Christ.” Mrs. June Smith presented Christine Connell and Mary-Clare Turner with the Rupert and Timothy Smith Charitable Foundation Bursaries. A full list of the scholarships and bursaries with recipients can be found here.

Finally, Dr. Ryan Freeburn, who has taught a wide-range of history courses at OLSWA since 2007 and is much admired by his students, was presented with a certificate of recognition for his service to the Academy by Dr. Cassidy. Dr. Freeburn will be moving on from OLSWA this summer, and will be greatly missed.

During the graduation Mass, the OLSWA Schola, under the direction of Maestro Uwe Liefländer, sang several selections from Schubert’s Mass in G, as well as various reflective motets.

While many of the first- and second-year students, including those having received their Basic or Associate Certificates of Christian Humanities, will be back to continue their studies in the fall, most students in their third year will be going on to other institutions for a fourth year to receive their Bachelor of Arts degree.

Third-year graduates: (back) Bethany, Jessica, Heather, Mariana, Mariah, (front) Alannah, Nellie, Lucy and Marie-Claire.

Mariana Mazzarolo receives the Blessed John Paul II Award.

Congratulations to the 2013 Scholarships and Bursaries recipients!

Mariana Mazzarolo
Blessed John Paul II Award
For a student receiving the three-year certificate who has the highest CGPA.

Jonathan Reitzel
Divine Infant of Prague Scholarship
For a student entering second year who is noted for academic excellence.

Anne Savidge
Mosielski Family Scholarship
For a student entering third year who is noted for academic excellence.

Emily Mott
Venerable Bede Scholarship
For a student noted for a commitment to excellence in the study of history and dedication to life.

Elizabeth Roelands
St. Cecilia Music Scholarship
For an exceptional music student.

Rebecca Aalbers
Janine Lieu Pro-Life Scholarship
For a returning female student noted for a commitment to excellence and dedication to life.

Luke Nyenhuis
Paul Sanders Pro-Life Scholarship
For a returning male student noted for a commitment to excellence and dedication to life.

Michael Hart
Sacred Heart League Bursary

Rosemarie Fritz
Father Archie Afelskie Award (donated by the Barry's Bay and Area Knights of Columbus, Council #6894)
For a returning local student.

Michelle van Boekel
Mary Ward Bursary
For a female student entering second year who has demostrated good Christian character.

Peter Lindgren
St. Athanasius Bursary
For a male student entering second year who has demonstrated good Christian character.

Christine Connell & Mary-Clare Turner
Rupert and Timothy Smith Charitable Foundation Bursaries
For two returning student who have demonstrated good Christian character and sound academic performance.

Lindsay Richey and Joel Patrick
The Venerable Fulton Sheen Bursaries
For two returning students (one female and one male) who exemplify a spirit of evangelization and a willingness to engage modern culture in bringing others to Christ.

Congratulations to Joseph Platt of Wilno who won the first prize in the Pysanky Easter Egg Raffle.  Second and third prizes went to Terry Hearn and Patrick Leffas.

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom would like to thank Karen Hanlon for her gift of the beautifully designed pysanky eggs, and for everyone who supported us in this fundraiser. Nearly $1500 was raised for OLSWA.

Mrs. Hanlon also ran several pysanky classes this March, with over 50 people participating, including several students from Our Lady Seat of Wisdom. Our students had a wonderful time and produced some beautiful eggs. See some photos below. 

Dr. Clemens Cavallin, a religious studies scholar from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, visited Barry’s Bay the week of April 15th to give a talk about his new book, Ritualization and Human Interiority. It was not the first visit for Dr. Cavallin, who also gave a talk at OLSWA in fall 2011, about the place for religious studies in a Catholic liberal arts education.

His new book – the fruit of ten-years’ labour; so recently published that it had not yet even been released in hard copy on Tuesday when he gave his talk  – deals with several questions concerning rituals, such as their origins, their purpose, and different ways of conducting them. In particular, Dr. Cavallin considers the place of interior dispositions versus exterior forms in the rituals of various peoples and religions over the course of history, and the ways in which interior dispositions, when they are counted important for a ritual, are sometimes exteriorized in order to make them known. 

Since Dr. Cavallin’s primary interest as a religious studies scholar is in Indian religion, his work focuses especially on ancient Vedic (Indian) ritual texts, and the way in which the Vedic rituals, which began by having an extreme dependence on flawless exterior delivery, were transformed in order to place a much greater emphasis on the interiority of the individuals performing them. In addition, as a Roman Catholic, Dr. Cavallin considers, in his book, various Catholic rituals – such as sacraments and sacramentals – and the ways in which these balance interiority with exteriority.

Among the wide-ranging audience for the talk (including several students, faculty and staff members, local residents, and members of Madonna House), was Mr. Michael O’Brien, OLSWA's Artist and Writer in Residence, and adjunct professor at OLSWA, who has been teaching Introduction to Art History this semester. Having completed his project on Ritualization and Human Interiority, Dr. Cavallin plans now to begin a study in Catholic Studies and Aesthetics which will involve some of Mr. O’Brien’s work.

The first week in March, five OLSWA alumni and one third-year student travelled with Campaign Life Coalition to New York City to help represent the pro-life movement at the United Nations’ 57th Commission on the Status of Women. Alissa Golob (’08) and Sharon-Rose Milan (’08) of Campaign Life Coalition Youth were among the leaders of the group, and were joined by Emma Coates (’10), Cassie Farrell (’10), Patrick Wilson (’11), and Marie-Claire Bissonnette (’13). Together with other members of Campaign Life Coalition Youth, these young people attended many side events relating to life and family issues, asking questions, taking notes, and speaking with delegates. While the Commission dealt with the global issue of violence against women, many of the events had more to do with advancing anti-life and anti-family values than ending all forms of violence against women. Sharon-Rose related that: “Going to the United Nations was a very eye-opening experience for me. As a Canadian, it was disheartening to witness how pro-abortion our Canadian delegates truly are. I do feel that our presence there was crucial in adding an alternative voice to the pro-abortion rhetoric.” However, there were glimmers of hope at the Commission, as noted by Pat Wilson: “Having initially thought that CLC (Campaign Life Coalition) would be completely alone in their pro-life mission at CSW, I was shocked over the course of the week to discover that there are well over a hundred other individuals who were present at the conference with very similar goals to CLC, many from pro-life and pro-family organizations worldwide. There was definitely a pro-life presence at the CSW, and while the UN would like to make it go unnoticed, we certainly pooled together to form the elephant in the room at the CSW57. And that, if nothing else, is a start.” 

Click here to see a video of CLCY at the UN.

Chore team olympicsThe first week in April the Student Activities Council planned Spirit Week - a week where something fun and crazy is planned every day.  Students had fun dressing up in different eras on Wednesday (one student even brought out his 'Abe Lincoln' inspired top hat) and dressing alike on Friday.  Some of the staff even got in on the fun with black outfits and sparkly hats on Friday.  It was a good break from the essay-writing and pre-exam stress. 

Staff and Teacher Appreciation Evening

The evening of Thursday, April 4, the students treated OLSWA staff and faculty to a delightful evening of delicious homemade desserts and live entertainment by some of OLSWA’s talented musicians. Many thanks to third-year Paul Taylor for organizing the event, which expressed the student body’s deep appreciation for OLSWA’s dedicated staff and faculty.

Volleyball

As part of this year’s Spirit Week festivities, students organized a volleyball tournament, which took place at the end of the week, on Saturday. Nine teams of students took part in the event, which was held in the gym at the local Madawaska Valley High School. After several hours of intense competition, Ben Dennison’s team emerged as the winners, to the great surprise of team member Mariana Mazzarolo: “I still can’t believe we won!” she admitted later the same day. The members of the winning team were Mariana, Ben, Colleen Barry, Nicholas Smith, and John Hanlon.

Spring Formal

To bring Spirit Week to a close this year, the Student Life Team held a “Semi-Spring Formal” in St. Hedwig’s hall. The evening social included a balanced variation of swing, waltz, polka, and informal dance music, along with a delicious selection of hors d’oeuvres. Several students, such as third year Nelly Van den Enden, commented afterwards that it was a really enjoyable evening, and even “The best dance I’ve been to all year!”

The Spring 2013 edition of VERITAS is now available! Veritas is OLSWA's regular newsletter, published three times per academic year, and covers student, alumni, faculty, campus and development news. 

If you are on the mailing list for the print edition of the newsletter, you should be receiving your copy shortly. 

If you are not on our mailing list, you can sign up here to receive future editions, at your doorstep, free of charge! You can also check out the electronic edition of the newsletter here.

The Solemnity of St. Joseph, falling as it does on March 19th – a date that always occurs in Lent – is inevitably a cause for great celebration among Academy students and staff. Each year the Academy marks the feast with a festive community meal.  However, this year was extra special, as the members of the OLSWA Schola travelled four hours to Richmond Hill (Toronto) to sing for the Solemnity’s Mass at St. Mary Immaculate Parish.

The parish bears a strong devotion to St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patron of Canada, and Patron of the Church. Their liturgy was therefore elaborate and celebratory. The Knights of Columbus processed in as honour guard, and there were several altar servers, one of them bearing incense. The Novus Ordo Mass was said in Latin, while OLSWA’s Schola sang Franz Schubert’s Mass in G, accompanied by Sinfonia Sacra – a Toronto-based string orchestra that Maestro Lieflander has worked with frequently. Besides singing the Schubert Mass, the Schola also sang the Propers for the day in Gregorian chant, and a couple of devotional pieces during the offertory and communion, including the powerful double-choir motet “I Am the Resurrection and the Life” by Heinrich Schutz.

The liturgy for the occasion was beautiful, and during the reception that followed, many of the parishioners assured Schola members that the music was magnificent. The choir travelled home late in the evening, tired, but grateful for so glorious an opportunity to praise God through sacred choral music.

Every March 16th, OLSWA students make a pilgrimage by bus to Midland, Ontario, to visit the sites connected with the life and death of the Holy Canadian Martyrs. March 16th marks the date on which the Jesuit missionary, St. Jean de Brébeuf was captured, tortured and killed by the Iroquois, alongside lay-worker St. Gabriel Lalement and many Huron Christian martyrs. 

This year the pilgrimage had particular significance, so closely following the election of Pope Francis, who is a Jesuit.  Pilgrims appreciated the opportunity to visit the Jesuit martyrdom sites and pray for our new pontiff only three days after his election. During the morning bus ride to Midland, Professor John Paul Meenan, read aloud the Pope’s first homily; and in response to the Pope’s personal request for prayers (which he made before his first “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on March 13), students and staff faithfully kept the Holy Father in their prayers throughout the pilgrimage.

The pilgrims prayed the Stations and the Angelus at the Martyrs Shrine in Midland across the road from the original mission site to the Huron nation, Ste Marie. Students then travelled to the monument marking the site of the first Mass said in Upper Canada (Ontario); then bussed to the rural site of St. Louis Mission, where Sts. Jean and Gabriel were captured;  and finally to the hidden field  of St. Ignace Mission, where a simple cross now marks the site where the Martyrs suffered and died. While there, Prof. Meenan read from the “Jesuit Relations,” an actual account of the martyrs’ bravery.  The day culminated in the celebration of Mass at the small outdoor altar at the site.  For a more detailed account of this inspiring yearly pilgrimage, please view last year’s article.