“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  

- John 3:16 -
 

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, Students and our extended NPSC community,
The Easter season is a very special time for all of us at NPSC and the most significant time in our Catholic faith. At this sacred time of year, we reflect upon and remember the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ through liturgy and prayer in our Catholic schools. As we anticipate and experience the transition of seasons from Winter to Spring, Easter and its holy days calls us to reflect on the transformative power that the Lord’s Resurrection brings, revealing the promise of renewal, new life and great hope in our lives.

This year, during the season of Lent, we launched the Pilgrimage of the Heart across our NPSC schools, celebrating our Pastoral theme of Love. The heart icon, a symbol of God’s enduring love for us, reflects our students’ perspective of what it means to love one another. The magnificent art piece has been travelling across our Board to each of our Catholic schools animating our pastoral theme and aligned to our Provincial Catholic Education Week theme, We are Called To Love, that will be celebrated in early May. Through this journey leading to the joyous Easter season, we are reminded of the boundless love that God has for us and that together, united as a community of faith, we are called to meet Jesus in the face of all who we encounter.

Over the course of our Lenten journey, our hearts have been warmed and we continue to be humbled by the many acts of compassion and kindness of our students and staff in our NPSC Catholic communities. Collections of items for local food banks, fundraisers led by our students and staff for the Gathering Place, social justice efforts and simply walking together with others to offer support in challenging circumstances are all living examples of how our students and Catholic community unite to support those most vulnerable in our community and illuminate our vision: Rooted in Faith, Alive in Spirit. Through these inspiring acts of service, our NPSC community demonstrates unity and truly reflects the joy and hope of the Easter season.
As we find ourselves at the end of Holy Week, we reflect with reverence that the joyous season of Easter came through sorrow, suffering and the death of Jesus in His human form. We remember and then celebrate that God so loved the world; He gave His only son. Through His love, hope and new life was provided to all our world. We are reminded that our faith provides strength that helps us overcome any adversity.
As we enter the Easter Triduum this evening, we invite and encourage all NPSC families to attend a local Catholic parish and participate in a service to commemorate this most sacred time in our Catholic faith.
We also invite you to take time to learn more about the significance of the Easter Triduum through reading “The Paschal (Easter) Triduum in a Minute” resource created by our Board Chaplain, Father Joseph de Viveiros.
On behalf of the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board of Trustees and Senior Administration Team, we extend our most prayerful wishes to all of our students, families and staff for an Easter season filled with joy, faith, hope and love.

Yours in Catholic Education,