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Welcome to Our Lady Seat of Wisdom

OLSWA is a unique approach to the study of the liberal arts at the post-secondary level. In wholehearted solidarity with the Church's call for a renewal in culture we prepare students to grip confidently in mind and heart the future our Saviour Jesus Christ has readied for them.

Student Spotlight: Katie

Katie Hanlon
Combermere, Ontario
"I am so grateful for the studies and people of OLSWA - truly enriching. When I started out, I thought of it as just another year of schoolwork..."

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Crossroads Comes to Barry's Bay

Students Jonathan Baker, Michael Hayden, and the small Canadian Crossroads team passed through Barry’s Bay last week on their summer-long walk across Canada. Faculty and staff of OLSWA were proud to welcome back these students who, with the help of their small team, have collectively walked some 3800 km of the 5000 km walk.

Both students were happy to return to Barry’s Bay and the Academy, even for a brief respite. A special Mass was offered at St. Hedwig Church for the Crossroads team, and our students were able to show the Academy to the other walkers (who have now been hearing about the Academy for many weeks!).

Baker, Hayden, and the rest of the Crossroads team have walked both night and day, in all kinds of weather. They have walked through the mountains, across the desert, through the flooded prairies and dry western Ontario. The Crossroads team has spoken at churches and prayed outside abortion clinics, wearing white t-shirts with “Pro Life” written prominently across the front. While the visual witness is important, however, it is not the only aspect of their walk. According to student Jonathan Baker, it is the sacrificial aspect of the summer that is perhaps the most important.

Two of the OLSWA staff members joined the walk for an afternoon, covering 15 kilometers, part of which took place in Algonquin Park. It quickly became clear that the drivers who pass by respond in different ways. Most don’t respond at all, while other responses range from enthusiastic beeps to angry horn blasts.

Jonathan Baker offered the following comment: “Our mission is not so much to be ‘anti’ anything, as to be ‘pro-life.’” Baker shared that they want to express that all life is beautiful and sacred, from the life of the pre-born infant to the life of the abortion doctor.

From Barry’s Bay, the walkers continued on to Ottawa, and will eventually reach Quebec City. They will end with a rally on Parliament Hill on August 14. OLSWA looks forward to seeing Jonathan and Michael when they return to school in September, and is proud of her students who have boldly “taken to the streets” to proclaim the Gospel of Life.

For more information visit www.crossroadswalk.org.

Students Walk for Life

Every year approximately 1.6 million children are aborted in Canada and the United States. Worldwide the figure is over 40 million. The numbers are stunning. This summer two students from Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Michael Hayden and Jonathan Baker, have decided to do something about it. They’ll be going for a walk.

Pope John Paul II, as part of what he called the New Evangelization, made an impassioned plea for Catholics, especially the young, to promote the dignity and the sanctity of all life. In response to the Holy Father’s call Michael and Jonathan will be walking across Canada, from Vancouver to Ottawa, as part of a Pro-life group called Crossroads. Founded in 1995 by a student at Franciscan University in Ohio, Crossroads is composed of small groups of college students who walk across Canada and the United States to raise awareness for the pro-life cause and work towards ending the tragedy of abortion.

During their 5500 kilometer walk, which will take them almost three months to complete, Michael and Jonathan will pray morning and evening prayer plus 20 decades of the rosary every day, attend daily Mass when possible, speak to Churches and youth groups across the country, and pray in front of abortion clinics in every major city they visit.

It will be the walk of a lifetime but it won’t be without sacrifices. In order to do the walk they will have to forgo their summer jobs and will be unable to meet the costs of their education next year. If you would like to help Jonathan and Michael in their mission, donations may be sent to Michael Hayden (attention: Walk for Life) at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, 18 Karol Wojtyla Square, Box 249, Barry’s Bay, ON K0J 1B0. (Please note that these donations are not tax-deductible.)

Catholic Humanities and Hope for the Modern World

OLSWA Artist and Writer in Residence Michael O'Brien's Keynote Address at the "Afternoon of the Arts" event in Ottawa on May 2, 2010:

Michael O'Brien - Catholic Humanities and Hope for the Modern World

Michael O'Brien spoke of how OLSW is one of the sources of hope for the modern world, forming and educating young adults in the Truth, and rousing in them the passion to bring it to others. The stirring talk was well attended, accompanied by an exhibit of Mr. O'Brien's artwork, and was preceded by a concert by Seat of Wisdom's Schola Choir.

OLSWA's Tenth Graduation Ceremonies

Unseasonable snow and a cold, windy rain could not dampen the spirits of OLSWA’s Class of 2010. The milestone Tenth Anniversary Commencement was celebrated on May 8 at beautiful St. Hedwig Church.

Following a reverent Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael Mulhall and warm words of welcome by OLSWA President Dr. Keith Cassidy, Mr. Phil Horgan delivered the Commencement Address. As the current president of the Catholic Civil Rights League, Mr. Horgan was well-equipped to comment on the challenges to faith that our graduates will be facing in society, whether at work or at secular educational institutions. After giving vivid and sobering descriptions of current cultural trends, he explained that such negativity is not new; that Jesus faced head-on the corruption of his age; and that Pilate, essentially a “master politician,” could lamentably be “a role model” for the pragmatic politicians of our own day.

Mr. Horgan countered that St. Thomas More is the role model that the Church proposes. “He was in a position of tremendous influence in the affairs of state, and abandoned that office for a prison cell. Perhaps More had the deeper wisdom to understand that what was truly required was to be, in St. Paul’s words, a fool for Christ.”

2010 Scholarship Recipients

Following the graduation ceremony on May 8, 2010, several returning students were awarded scholarships and bursaries.
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Mosielski Family Scholarship

This spring, the Mosielski Family established a new scholarship at OLSWA in memory of the beloved Boguslaw Mosielski, a Polish artist who settled with this family in Barry’s Bay, and passed away in 2004.
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2010 Valedictorian Address by Maggie Dorris

Lord Jesus, Your Excellency Bishop Mulhall, Reverend Fathers, Reverend Deacons, Reverend Mother and Sisters of Our Lady Immaculate, Dr. and Mrs. Cassidy, esteemed members of the board of directors and senate, Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, all members of the Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy Community including parents and my fellow students:

Before I begin – Elizabeth Enright will function as our joke meter. If she laughs, that means I said something funny.

It is a great happiness to represent Our Lady's school and in particular these classmates of mine. Coming here to St. Hedwig's and the Academy is one of the best gifts I have ever received – the best gift is the gift of Our Lord whom we received in Holy Communion only moments ago.

Two weeks ago each of us in the graduating class was asked to come up with a definition for "OLSWA." I looked around at the students; I thought about the staff, the secretaries, the faculty and the help that comes to us from far and wide. The definition was obvious: The Academy is what happens when Our Lady makes a fruit salad for Jesus. And it is beautiful. It's...fruity. I feel fruity. I think I'm a grape. It is my privilege to tell you that the Sisters of the Valley of Our Lady Cistercian Monastery have accepted me for postulancy in June. We come here for an education but it is also a very good place to discern. Marissa Henry, a former graduate, is entering the Poor Clares, also in June, and Rene Holt is in his second year of the Fraternity of St. Peter Seminary. We are also celebrating the soon to be Mrs. Thompson and the soon to be Mrs. Baklinski.

Look at all this fruit Our Lady has brought together. There’s a pomegranate, at least two bananas, some apples and berries and citrus… but not one single lemon. And with a few stories I would like to share some of the secret acts of grace that reflect the goings-on here so that all of you will know what kind of people your caring has helped to produce.

The first people who came to my mind were Paul and Janine. We cannot know for certain in this life that they are in heaven, but we believe that they are and that they are praying for us. Janine so loved consecrated life that she would have been ecstatic to have seen the Sisters of Our Lady Immaculate here – the Academy’s own powerhouse of influence with God. When I went to visit the Valley of Our Lady last spring, the vocations director told me that Janine had also

been hoping to enter there.

Thinking of Paul reminded me of a young man I met when we went to Paul’s funeral. I think this young man was sixteen or seventeen and he told me about a time when he went to the adoration chapel and he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and for a moment he saw Our Lord and Our Lord said to him, “Welcome home.” The young man credited Paul with his return to the Faith.

And that reminded me of another young man who, when he first came to the Academy, was pretty sure that the Catholic Church didn’t ‘have it quite right’. But after getting to know a certain young lady, he told me that she removed all of his defences against Jesus because she forgave him: immediately and repeatedly.

There is Elizabeth Enright who started a youth group with her sister and John Espadero who helps them. And Krisztina Orgona, who puts as much love into a salad or a lamb chop as anyone I know and she told me that no matter what happens when I go to the monastery, it will be worthwhile. And just as essays and assignments were piling up near the end of the school year, Hanna Corkery put in a full day of work to help prepare the faculty appreciation dinner. Then there is Cassie Farrell, who took her commitment to Janine and Paul’s memorial so much to heart.

There was also an incident last fall, at the start of the school year when there was a sewage backup in one of the girls’ residences, just as they had moved in. The sewage had spread to the carpet and another generous young man came to do the cleaning. In the meantime Maura McNeely held a meeting to disperse the twelve young women in groups to the other girls’ residences with already busy bathrooms. The first three words of the meeting were: “Thank you, Jesus.”

At the Academy relationships quickly become friendships. In Christ, the friendships we’ve been given will be lifelong.

Academically, the people who make the Academy what it is hope to foster free thinking. They want to foster individuals who are free to be faithful to revealed truth and who are capable of reading and questioning and problem solving; capable of acknowledging beauty and recognizing fallacies; capable of correcting a destructive idea and of developing a good one. A great part of this learning is words. Our vocabularies now include words like “munificent,” “somnambulant,” “hylomorphism,” and “squirrelize”. Okay, squirrelize isn’t a word – but it could be! And we have learned many other words too. Words that are part of us, that have changed us; words that signify sacred realities that we will cherish forever. Words like: Zakrzewski, Schintgen, Freeburn, Kerr, Merrick, Lieflander, Nicholson, Meenan, Beresford and Cassidy. Names we will never forget.

They are true leaders. They have taught us what the true reality of Catholicity means. They open their offices and their homes to us. They host parties, repair school and personal computers, manage the library, serve on committees and help us with classes other than the ones they teach. They pray for us and they forgive us.

Professors, thank you for forgiving our acts of disrespect, whether voluntary or careless, and for our sometimes poor appreciation of who you are. We love God more because of you. It is our hope that no matter where we go or what we do, and no matter what it costs us, we will remind others that they belong to God.

Mom and Dad, I cannot appreciate fully what your love for Amy, Mary, Elizabeth and I has done for us; and it is not possible for me to express the things you deserve to hear. Thank you for being here today.

Thank you to all the parents for coming. In the beauty of this Academy family it means a lot to us to have each others’ parents here.

Thank you Your Excellency, we are so happy that you are here. Your presence means a lot to each of us.

Mr. Zakrzewski rendered this in Latin for me at the last minute. The graduating class of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, 2010, would like everyone who has supported and cared for us to know:

In Sanctae Communionis mysterio

propter vestram

caritatem in caritate

succrescimus.

In the mystery of Holy Communion,

we are growing in charity because of your charity.

Thank you.

Correction:

Although it is not possible to mention everyone, I made a serious mistake in this speech by not mentioning, at least with a thank you, Father Paul Burchat and Father Christopher Shalla, who daily gave us Christ’s own love in the Sacraments, in Fatherhood and in friendship. May we ever pray for you both by name in thanksgiving to God.

OLSWA Marches for Life

Spirits were high on Thursday, May 14, as 12,500 pro-lifers lined the streets of a beautiful Ottawa day on Parliament Hill to protest abortion laws in Canada. Proudly donning OLSWA hoodies of every style and colour, Academy faculty, staff, students, and alumni were among the largest gathering in the history of the Canadian March for Life.
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Afternoon of the Arts

OLSWA held a highly successful and enjoyable “Afternoon of the Arts” at St. Patrick’s Basilica in Ottawa, Ontario, on Sunday, May 2^nd, 2010.

The event began with a concert of sacred music in the church, conducted by OLSWA faculty member Uwe Liefländer and performed by OLSWA’s Schola choir as well as members of the Sacred Music Society and the Sparrows choir. The group presented uplifting selections of music by Mozart, Bruckner, and Gregor Aichner, as well as Schubert’s beautiful Mass in G Major.

Guest Lecture: Dr. Craig Carter

The final guest lecture of the Academic year was an outstanding talk by Dr. Craig Carter, Professor of Religious Studies at Tyndale University College in Toronto, entitled: “An Evangelical Appreciation of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.”

Faculty, students, and friends of OLSWA packed St. Mary Hall on April 30 to hear the fascinating talk given by this Evangelical professor who has a great admiration for the late John Paul II. Dr. Carter, who in the last few years has become familiar with the Theology of the Body, John Paul II’s profound teaching on the meaning of the human person and love, has begun teaching the Theology of the Body to his students at Tyndale.

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