Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy is very blessed to be part of the parish community of St. Hedwig Catholic Church, and there is much that we receive from the parish on so many levels. As a way to say “Thank you,” the Academy decided to put on a Valentine Cabaret on February 12, both to raise funds for the church renovation fund, and to share with the community the gifts and talents of members of the Academy. The goal was to treat guests to a lovely evening of entertainment and delicious desserts, and by every account, the Academy definitely succeeded.
The guests arrived to find the parish hall transformed into a classy cafe decorated with elegant white drapings, glistening red hearts, and glowing candles. The atmosphere was made complete by live background music, which ranged from the carefree, classy rumble of 1930's jazz to the otherworldly beauty of Celtic ballads. Seated at cafe-style tables, guests were waited on and ordered from a variety of delicious desserts including cheesecakes and home-made tortes and carrot cake.
Conversation paused twice in the evening for entertainment sets. Here the musically talented students of OLSWA truly had a chance to let their lights shine. The audience was treated to the vocal acrobatics of favourite operatic arias by Mozart and Bizet (sung by Alexa Bulman and Marie-Claire Bissonnette), to the nostalgia of folk songs like “Come Back to Sorrento,” to the harmony of instrumental Irish tunes, and to the playfulness of old war-time hits like “Blue Moon,” and “I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile.” One highlight of the evening was St. Hedwig’s Fr. Brian Christie taking the violin in hand and joining students Kathleen Dunn and Elliott Warner for a lovely performance of a folk tune. The guests did not want the evening to end and sang along with an encore presentation of Alec McCune’s “I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile.”
The Academy successfully raised $1,677 dollars for the Parish Restoration Fund. It seems little compared to all that the parish does for OLSWA. The Academy is grateful to Fr. Shalla, Fr. Christie, and all of the community for their generosity in so many ways: in letting OLSWA use parish space for classes and eating; for financial and personal support; for being a loving and welcoming family; and most especially for their prayers. Without St. Hedwig’s Parish, the Academy could not be what it is today. We hope that the cabaret and the funds it has raised will show something of our love and thankfulness to the parish.
Thank you to all the students and community volunteers that made this wonderful event happen, particularly: Miss Maja Polic and her set-up crew, Greg and Mary Doyle and their kitchen and servers crew, the greeters, the clean-up crew, and the personable emcees, Michael Hayden and Emily Stuyt. We also extend our special “thanks” to our talented entertainers: Alec McCune, Kathleen Dunn, Elliott Warner, Tereza Smith, Alexa Bulmann, Marie-Claire Bissonnette, David Groves, Rory MacIntyre, Elisha Ramstad, Joseph and Noelle Platt, Dr. and Mrs. Freeburn, and Fr. Brian Christie.
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Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy is very blessed to be part of the parish community of St. Hedwig Catholic Church, and there is much that we receive from the parish on so many levels. As a way to say “Thank you,” the Academy decided to put on a Valentine Cabaret on February 12, both to raise funds for the church renovation fund, and to share with the community the gifts and talents of members of the Academy. The goal was to treat guests to a lovely evening of entertainment and delicious desserts, and by every account, the Academy definitely succeeded.
The guests arrived to find the parish hall transformed into a classy cafe decorated with elegant white drapings, glistening red hearts, and glowing candles. The atmosphere was made complete by live background music, which ranged from the carefree, classy rumble of 1930's jazz to the otherworldly beauty of Celtic ballads. Seated at cafe-style tables, guests were waited on and ordered from a variety of delicious desserts including cheesecakes and home-made tortes and carrot cake.
Conversation paused twice in the evening for entertainment sets. Here the musically talented students of OLSWA truly had a chance to let their lights shine. The audience was treated to the vocal acrobatics of favourite operatic arias by Mozart and Bizet (sung by Alexa Bulman and Marie-Claire Bissonnette), to the nostalgia of folk songs like “Come Back to Sorrento,” to the harmony of instrumental Irish tunes, and to the playfulness of old war-time hits like “Blue Moon,” and “I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile.” One highlight of the evening was St. Hedwig’s Fr. Brian Christie taking the violin in hand and joining students Kathleen Dunn and Elliott Warner for a lovely performance of a folk tune. The guests did not want the evening to end and sang along with an encore presentation of Alec McCune’s “I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile.”
The Academy successfully raised $1,677 dollars for the Parish Restoration Fund. It seems little compared to all that the parish does for OLSWA. The Academy is grateful to Fr. Shalla, Fr. Christie, and all of the community for their generosity in so many ways: in letting OLSWA use parish space for classes and eating; for financial and personal support; for being a loving and welcoming family; and most especially for their prayers. Without St. Hedwig’s Parish, the Academy could not be what it is today. We hope that the cabaret and the funds it has raised will show something of our love and thankfulness to the parish.
Thank you to all the students and community volunteers that made this wonderful event happen, particularly: Miss Maja Polic and her set-up crew, Greg and Mary Doyle and their kitchen and servers crew, the greeters, the clean-up crew, and the personable emcees, Michael Hayden and Emily Stuyt. We also extend our special “thanks” to our talented entertainers: Alec McCune, Kathleen Dunn, Elliott Warner, Tereza Smith, Alexa Bulmann, Marie-Claire Bissonnette, David Groves, Rory MacIntyre, Elisha Ramstad, Joseph and Noelle Platt, Dr. and Mrs. Freeburn, and Fr. Brian Christie.