It seems there was too much Spirit to keep Spirit Day in total virtual mode for another year.
Last year’s Spirit Day for nearly 1,500 confirmation age students had to make use of technology for them to be “Connected as One,” the theme of the Grade 7 event.
This year Spirit Day returned to its home at the Chandos Pattison Auditorium with the theme Into the Wilderness, based on Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness in the Gospel of Luke. In addition to about 650 students at the auditorium, about 1,000 more watched the event by livestream from home or satellite sites.
We invited a couple of participants to share what it was like being back together again after a year’s absence, and they were in agreement: live Spirit Days have more spirit.
It was great to have the in-person connection again at Spirit Day this year. One thing about this event is the sense of community that comes with having all the Grade 7s together in one place.
For the last two years it’s been greatly missed and the personal experience was sadly not part of our Grade 7 students’ confirmation year. Although every effort was made last year to provide it virtually, it just wasn’t the same to tune into Spirit Day from home. The excitement, enthusiasm, and sense of community that are so present during the sessions and Mass were not there. We made the most of it as a family for our son, but it wasn’t the same.
Being back in-person was such a blessing. Our students were excited leading up to Spirit Day, and that excitement lasted all day. How often do our students get an opportunity to spend a day together outside of school, attending a spiritual retreat with hundreds of students from other Catholic schools and parishes? It was great for chaperones, teachers, and principals to be able to connect once again with colleagues from other schools and parishes.
The organization of the event was exceptionally good and well-managed. I really enjoyed this year’s music guest Chris Bray. His music was wonderfully upbeat and energetic and really suited the tone of the day.
As always, Brad and Gene captivated the students and kept them engaged while sharing so many important messages with them about the importance of being a spiritual superhero.
Archbishop Michael’s address was great as always, and he spoke at a level that the students could really comprehend. I also want to add that I think the length was perfect. Overall, I have to say that this Spirit Day was perfectly executed and so well done as our first live event in years.
Thank you so much to the organizers for all the thought and effort that went into making the day a success. The Holy Spirit was alive and working at Chandos Pattison for Spirit Day 2022!
Clive Heah is principal of Cloverdale Catholic Elementary in Surrey.
Standing in the auditorium of students and chaperones, singing and praying, along with the archbishop’s message of encouragement, made me feel like we’re slowly returning to a new sense of normal.
Having participated in Spirit Day since 2017, including last year's online option, the time spent in praise and worship with the students never ceases to inspire me. This year's theme of “Into the Wilderness” was an awesome way to help students as they begin their journey of adult faith in confirmation. Our wild, wild world needs soldiers for Christ, and along with Archbishop Miller’s survival tips I feel my students are more hyped than ever to receive the sacrament in June.
I have noticed students feeling disconnected from their faith as they’ve now spent two years in pandemic conditions: attending Mass online, sitting separately from their classmates, and living in fear of a virus. Last year’s theme of Connected as One helped bring students together for a virtual Spirit Day, and my students and I joined from school on one Saturday afternoon. The speakers from APeX Ministry and the music from WAL were able to get them engaged, but I felt they didn’t get the full, immersive Spirit Day experience that I was used to. The joy that you feel entering Chandos Pattison Auditorium, cheered on by the high school volunteers, is something that we missed as we sat in our classroom.
This year, I took time to hype up Spirit Day as a “Catholic concert with comedy,” a day where they would join fellow Grade 7 students from across the Lower Mainland for praise and worship.
The kids were so excited, they showed up at 11:30 a.m. for the 1 p.m. event, and as their classmates arrived they whooped and hollered.
Seeing past opponents from sports games, teammates from other schools, and the number of different schools and parishes joining the event showed my students that they are not alone in their faith, that they are part of a greater universal Church.
As we listened to the archbishop’s message, one student leaned to me and whispered, “It’s really him – we pray for him all the time, but here we are with him!”
When we arrived back to school on Monday in our Spirit Day T-shirts, students were out in the courtyard singing, “Yes Lord, yes Lord,” complete with the actions Chris Bray taught them.
My hope is that Spirit Day continues to show students that their faith is shared, is communal, and is very much ALIVE!
Kathy Johnson teaches Grade 7 at Blessed Sacrament Elementary in Vancouver.