"Lent: a Time for Conversion and Charity"

                                                                                                                     ... Pope Benedict XVI

February 27th, 2009

The Pope said that following the example of St. Paul, Lent should be marked by a more frequent listening to the word of God. " It should be an encouragement to conversion and sincere love for our brothers, especially those who are most poor and in need," he said. In a celebration of Ash Wednesday at the ancient Roman basilica of Santa Sabina,  Benedict XVI offered  the life of  St. Paul as a model of how the Christian should live Lent.

In his homily, the Pope focused especially on a phrase from the second Letter to the Corinthians: "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (5:20). " Paul," he commented, "experienced in an extraordinary manner the power of God's grace, the grace of the Paschal mystery that is the vital force of Lent itself. He presents himself to us as an 'ambassador' of the Lord. Who better than him, then, to help us travel in a fruitful way this path of interior conversion?"

Father Dan Vere and Seminarian Victor De Gagne from St. Justin's Parish gave out ashes during a paraliturgy at St. Anthony Catholic French Immersion School on Ash Wednesday.

Above, the scene at St. George School on Shrove Tuesday, with Fr. John Pirt burning the palms from Palm Sunday .

Father Francis from St. George Church burned palms in preparation for Ash Wednesday (Above) while students from St. Theresa looked on. (Below) This is the third year the school have held this event.

Celebrating Those Who Have Made a Difference! 

This will be the sixth year of an initiative to profile London District Catholic School Board Graduates who live the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations.  Those selected must be secondary school graduates of the London District Catholic School Board or its predecessor Boards. They must demonstrate impact in professional and/or personal life in the following areas: spiritual, academic, aesthetic, social, or physical; demonstrate fulfillment of the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations; and demonstrate stewardship in Catholic Education. Nominators must complete a nomination form, signed by the nominee and submitted to John Boles at the Catholic Education Centre by February 28th, 2009. Printable nominations forms are available Here..

There is a limit of one nomination per nominator. A Selection Committee will review all nominations and make a final decision based on the criteria.  The graduate (s) will be profiled in Spotlight, on the Board Website and during Education Week. This is your opportunity to publicly honour someone you know who has made a difference in the world around them! A list of previous winners is available Here.

Click on the burgundy buttons  below to find out what has been happening in our schools, at the CEC, upcoming news and more.

Our Mission

To serve the Catholic student in a community that nurtures a living faith and provides a quality Catholic education that enables the individual to become a contributing member of the Church and Society.

For feedback, submissions, suggestions and input, please contact:
:j.boles@ldcsb.on.ca

or contact: John Boles, 
Manager of Communications,
519-663-2088, ext 40015

Spotlight is produced weekly by the 
Communications Department of the LDCSB.

    Spotlight is a BRAVO Award winner for demonstrated excellence, recognized by the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education and a winner of the Glorya Nanne Award from the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education for making a substantial contribution to fostering better understanding of Catholic Education.