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On the evening of Saturday, December 11th, the beautiful space of the former Saint Bridget’s church in Ottawa was filled with the glorious harmonies of Handel’s Messiah, including “O Thou that Tellest,” “The Glory of the Lord,” and, not least, the rousing “Halleluiah Chorus.” Handel’s Messiah, which follows the life of Christ, has become a Christmas classic. Every year, the Sacred Music Society, in conjunction with Our Lady Seat of Wisdom’s Schola and the Sparrows children’s choir, presents a rendition of the Messiah, conducted by Maestro Uwe Liefländer. It is hard to believe that it was but three years ago that Maestro Liefländer began the formal music program at OLSWA, part of which includes the Schola, open to students, staff and members of the larger community.

 The last week of November saw the Academy kick off its very first Spirit Week! For six unusual days the students were challenged to a wide array of creative activities designed to bring the community together and to inject the cold final days of the semester with a dollop of cheery craziness!

Monday Night’s weekly Academy Dinner was turned into a Mexican party, complete with colourful streamers, posters, a piñata, and lively Latin music.  Naturally the fare consisted of tacos and wraps. After dinner, those in attendance had a chance to swing at the piñata after correctly answering trivia questions about OLSWA or Mexico.  The candy came out with a triumphant smash from Prof. John Paul Meenan, and everyone scurried for the goodies scattered on the floor.

On Tuesday, the students let their artistic talents shine to the point of absurdity for “Crazy Hat Day.” That day also saw the kickoff of a whodunit murder mystery designed for the whole school by a number of volunteer students of a dramatic turn. The whodunit began with a skit played over lunch, introducing the students to a greasy hotel manager (third year student Michael Hayden) whom everyone around him seemed to want dead.

"He who sings prays twice." - St. Augustine of Hippo

The St. Cecilia Women's Residence rang with melodies on November 21, the vigil of the feastday of the house's patroness, St. Cecilia. This famous virgin martyr is well-known for her love of music. As such, the residence ladies' Annual Music Night held in her honour is a much-anticipated event each year. The entire Academy was invited to an evening of food, fellowship, and song at the house. After a dessert buffet prepared by the household and a rousing game of "Guess Back," the students pulled out their instruments. Old favourites were sung again with relish, while new songs brought colour. The tunes ranged from old Irish folk songs to contemporary country hits. At one point the students revisited the show tunes of last year's theatrical production, "Oliver!", singing the songs they knew so well from countless rehearsals. A number of students showed their talent at playing such instruments as fiddle, guitar, Celtic harp, piano, clarinet, penny whistle, and drums. Prof. John Paul Meenan, a regular at any Academy event involving music, showed once again that he could jam with the best of them. When at last the party drew to a close, all were in high spirits, refreshed by the beauty and boisterousness of God's gift of music. St. Cecilia, pray for us.

OLSWA has been blessed in the past several years to have a number of American students in attendance. As such, the celebration of American Thanksgiving in November in addition to the Canadian holiday in October has become a fixture of the school year. While many students return home for the long weekend in October, the November holiday allows the OLSWA community to come together to give thanks for the many blessings God has given to both of our countries. Thus it was that the air was full of the smell of turkey and all the trimmings on November 25th. Head cook Mrs. Rachel McGuey prepared a fine Thanksgiving feast for the students, professors, and their families who attended the semi-formal dinner in the parish hall. The Student Activities Council, together with Dean of Students Maja Polic, had decked the hall out in bright reds, whites and blues, even making an enormous representation of the American flag out of streamers hanging from the ceiling. After the delicious meal, the gentlemen surprised the ladies by chasing them out of the kitchen and doing all of the washing-up chores themselves!

When the dishes were clean, President Dr. Keith Cassidy addressed the gathering, emphasizing the importance of gratitude toward God in both of our countries. He joined the group in "thanking God for the blessings he has bestowed on all of us,” and "especially remembering on this day the blessings that he has showered on the United States of America." He added that we "should be thankful that [we] have as neighbours such a brave, generous and great hearted people. We at the Academy are thankful as well that so many Americans have chosen to come here and add their talents, energy and high spirits to our community life." His speech was followed by a beautiful and rousing rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," led by the American students. The highlight of the evening was the celidh, an old-time Irish country dance. OLSWA alumna Marissa Henry did a splendid job as caller, guiding the group through the intricate yet strangely easy steps of jigs and reels. This form of dancing was new to many students, but all took to it with an enjoyment that was a pleasure to see. By the end of the dance, all were truly thankful to God for such a delightful evening.

“O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” This year, Academy students have truly taken this Psalm to heart and have come together to put on a monthly evening of Praise and Worship for the school and parish community. This prayerful event consists of worship music, led by Academy students, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, as well as Lectio Divina led by Deacon Bob Probert.

This December marked the second monthly evening, this one celebrating the beginning of the season of Advent. Deacon Bob led the congregation through a prayerful meditation on the Magnificat between songs of praise, preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ on Christmas Day. As the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, students again led prayerful and meditative songs of worship, and allowed for a period of silence in the Presence of Christ.

Parishioners as well as students are welcomed and encouraged to attend this Academy event. Not only is it a beautiful time of worship, but it is also a time of fellowship as the evening concludes with a social reception of food and drink in the Church Hall. We hope you are able to join us in the new year and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to thank God for all His blessings.

On October 16th, three OLSWA professors were among the speakers at a conference held by the Canadian Fellowship of Catholic Scholars at Loreto College in Toronto. Doctors Colin Kerr and David Beresford and Prof. John Paul Meenan all delivered presentations on the sciences considered from a Roman Catholic viewpoint. All of the talks were well-received by the audience.

Several members of the OLSWA community took advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon to hike on the scenic Centennial Ridges Trail of Algonquin Park, one of many planned outings by the Frassati Outdoors Club. On Sunday, November 7, nine students and two staff members trekked through the soggy valleys, and scaled the heights of the hills of the 10 km adventure. The trail was invigorating and refreshing, rewarding the hikers at the end with a spectacular view of the sunset.

By John-Paul Meenan

On a cold and rainy Saturday at the end of October, the guys at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy donned their outdoor gear, and headed to the boonies outside of the town of Arnprior, ON for a day of paintball. Now, for those of you who have never participated in this sport (as I had not before that Saturday), this is how it goes: You are given a rifle-looking device that shoots bullet-sized balls of paint at high velocity; a visor protects your face and eyes, and, hopefully, your clothing protects your body (although some of the guys came out with welts). Then, over a series of games, you are divided into two teams, and fire away through the obstacle course, until one team is eliminated.

The day was wet, muddy and, on the whole, a lot of fun (even with the masks fogging up). For me, it was an eye-opening experience to what war must be like. Unlike the movies, the bullets did hit me, and often; at one point, I raised my head slightly above the haystack behind which I was hiding, and got a paintball between the eyes. I rarely ‘lived’ very long, with the exception of the last game, when I was the last man standing on my team (partly since I had so many bullets left over!).

But it was all in good fun, with a lot of that endless male energy channeled into healthy competition. Afterwards, we compared stories, good shots and bad ones, injuries and strategies. It may not be my cup of tea every weekend (I prefer a good hike or bike ride), but, hey, I’ll do most things once, especially if they involve camaraderie, fellowship, blasting away at my students (and they at me) and a glass of dark ale at the end of the day.

John Paul Meenan teaches theology and science at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy