03Jun

The Holy Spirit Makes All Things New


Introductory 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...

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31May

Unplug this Summer

Unplug 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...

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22May

Celebrating the Class of 2019


I 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 EvangelizationThe 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...

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15May

Let the children come to me

This 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...

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08May

Mastering Relationships

Dear 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...

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01May

Community is Core

I 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 ...

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16Apr

Cardinal Newman Teaching Institute

Mount 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...

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10Apr

Lenten Reflection: Prodigal Father

Last 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 ...

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08Apr

25 Years and Growing

How 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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03Apr

Lenten Reflection: St. Andre

Last Friday I was privileged to journey to Montreal, joining fellow staff members in pilgrimage to St. Joseph’s Oratory, in thanksgiving for the journey which gave birth to Mount Royal Academy 25 years ago. Walking through the enormous main basilica, I was full of awe at the magnitude of all the blessings God has showered on this community over the years. Kneeling at the altar of the tiny, original, chapel I sensed the amazing scope of the dream our founding families possessed. Looking up I was surrounded by rows of crutches and canes, tokens of miracles granted through the intercession of S...

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