Dear Families, Faculty, and Friends, On Tuesday, the faculty made our annual end of year mini-pilgrimage to St. Joseph Cathedral for a retreat. We always end the school year in prayerful silence before our Lord; this includes a holy hour, benediction, and confession. Fr. Jason Jalbert is always very hospitable to us - and he was so gracious again to mention the mission of Mount Royal in his daily Mass homily. He exhorted us to faithfully follow the example of St. Barnabas, an unconventional Apostle who passionately taught the truths of the faith. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI commented on Barnab...
Read MoreIntroductory Remarks, Headmaster Derek Tremblay On behalf of the soon-to-be graduates, their parents, and the faculty of Mount Royal Academy, I welcome you to the 2019 commencement exercises. I keep looking back over previous commencements to make sure I don’t say the same thing. Sorry in advance if you have heard some version of this before. Mr. McMenaman did comment at the Senior Dinner that good teaching requires repetition. Before we begin, there are two elements to this particular commencement that are unique. I can never recall a commencement that coincided with the Easter season, and o...
Read MoreUnplug this Summer The end of the year is full of wonderful signs and symbols of celebration. Our senior dinner banquet, Baccalaureate Mass, field trips, field days, parties and more. It is a time to look back, reflect, revel, and step forward. One of the things I have been reflecting upon right now, is--- technology. An odd connection for sure, and not typically a topic of graduation speeches or end-of-year addresses; but as I look back over the school year, which has gone by so quickly, I noticed that the focus of so much of our efforts was addressing the use of technology. We pondered the...
Read MoreI attended a conference last summer with the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education at Catholic University of America. This summer, I will be returning to provide a breakout session entitled Classical Schools and the New Evangelization. The President and Founder of ICLE, Michael Van Hecke, made a comment at the conference that continues to resonate with me. In the quest to measure the quality and success of an educational program, there are so many data points available to schools. Do standardized test scores verify mission success? Is student behavior the best prism to gauge whether...
Read MoreThis week I have been blessed to spend time in our kindergarten. I have been moved and stunned by the simple and unbridled joy with which they view--- everything! It is a joy borne of God, that revels in His creation. Whether it is grace before meals, or prayers of thanksgiving at the end of the day; their petitions are heartfelt and sincere. The world is viewed with wonder and awe. They are quite simply, an inspiration of pure faith. Each day they write warm and complimentary notes to one another, which are delivered during mail time at the close of day. The original drawings and honest gre...
Read MoreDear Families, Parenting is no easy or simple task. Now that my own children are reaching the age of reason (7), I am quickly learning the new challenges that will unfold between 2nd grade and high school graduation. Perhaps the biggest challenge is projecting: projecting how one act or habit now predicts good or negative outcomes ten years down the road; projecting our own experiences either from childhood or even now as adults onto our children; projecting the values of the world into the souls of our children; and finally, projecting anything besides God's plan for our children into decis...
Read MoreI was recently listening to a podcast that struck me to the core. I love the variety of Catholic podcasts so easily available now. I listen when I do my morning stretches, as I drive to and from work, or when folding laundry. It is a wonderful way to learn, to laugh, and to explore new ideas. There are podcast for every niche audience. Those made by women, for women, celebrating the wonderful work of women; by lay ministers who love the Marvel Universe and bemoan the struggles of modern parish work -- caution: they are Franciscan alumni!; by my idol Bishop Robert Barron -- (ask your children...
Read MoreMount Royal Academy recently partnered with Northeast Catholic College to offer a three-week internship experience for aspiring teachers. Both schools are affiliated with the Cardinal Newman Society, and MRA is one of the first ever Ambassador Schools for the Catholic Honor Roll. The geographic proximity of the campuses, coupled with a record a nationally recognized excellence in Catholic education, contributed to this most fitting partnership. NCC has long been included in the Newman Guide, which "recommends Catholic colleges and universities because of their commitment to a faithful Catho...
Read MoreLast Saturday, I attended my daughter's first Reconciliation. Early on, when Jubilee asked me where 'momma' went, I would say that she went to say sorry to Jesus. I often express how I need to get myself to the penalty box. I was once a hockey player, so the image seems apt, but in another sense, it doesn't really capture the beauty of the sacrament. God never quarantines us in a desolate space to punish us for our inability to love Him. That would be just selfish, an attribute inconsistent with and entirely inappropriate to God. The problem is, we often send ourselves to the penalty box: we...
Read MoreHow often do you hear of a Catholic school that is growing? We all know the story by now: Declining enrollment in Catholic schools has brought about widespread closure and consolidation of what were once evangelical centers of academic and moral excellence. But do we know how the story ends? No. We do not know what will happen with our Catholic schools, but we do know that with the eyes of faith, God will make all things new again. This season of lent is a fitting time to look at Catholic education through the prism of redemption, as our current climate in the Church also positions a particul...
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